Not as Black and White as It Seems
by Lady of the Crimson Ravens
Summary: After Pitch's fall, he was left weak. But someone helped him to his feet. A bond grew out of convenience, then into something deeper. She, neither an ally nor foe, accepted him. Unknowingly marking the beginning of a dark prophecy older than Earth itself, and everyone has a part to play. So the guardians came to take her away. And now he's hell bent to keep her to himself. DRK&SMUT
1. Prolouge

I'm a **hardcore shipper PitchxElsa fan** and **no one** can change that. **SO** no flaming, bashing and whinning about my Fave pair. Don't like it, exit silently.

But hey! I'm proud that I'm to have the first M rated PitchxElsa fic in english. ||^O^\\\\\ To tell the truth, this is pairing are the only ones I made that doesn't depict gore or anywhere darker. M because of lemonny goodness of one of the chapters.

I'm going to tweak some of the facts to go along with my story but I'll try to make it as near as the canon. And no need for disclaimers because the website already says it. I'm only going to say this just once, I give credit to Disney for Frozen and Dreamworks for Rise of the Guardians (of Gahool? XD Just kidding...)

(Even a little "good job" or "Yay chapter" on the review would be appreciated.)

* * *

**~~Prolouge~~**

Once upon a time, in ages past, where kings and queens ruled kingdoms of vast lands lived a royal family. Respected by all, loved by their subjects and held dearest by every kingdom, they created bonds and alliances not easily broken. Everything they cared and tended, even not their own, prospered. But they didn't have any children. In the queens act of desperation, she turned to myths and legends and one of them spoke of the man in the moon who had the power to grant wishes and revive the dead.

One bright full moon lit night, when her husband was fast asleep, she begged the moon for children. Somehow, it seemed that the moon heard her plea and blessed them with beautiful twin daughters. The first born was calm, intelligent and graceful. She was quiet, obedient and never spoke out of turn. The second one was the total opposite. She was over-enthusiastic, rowdy, talkative, high spirited and adventurous. Even though they were different as night and day, the two loved each other dearly, doing almost everything together. Until the older child showed unimaginable power, the power of snow, the curse of the winter. Fearing for the life of their child, they locked her up, kept most people out, trapping their cursed blond haired daughter and her normal twin within the confines of the castle.

One tragic day, both the beloved king and queen embarked on a journey to a neighboring kingdom to visit old friends, when a vicious storm destroyed their ship, the sea claiming their lives. Leaving the first born to rule the kingdom on her own. As both sister came of age, the two had bloomed into beautiful and stunning women. The eldest became the queen of the kingdom, while her sister ruled beside her. With the help of her sister, the queen tamed her powers. But all things went sour when the youngest of the two found love and married. Jealous of her sister's happiness, her powers became uncontrollable and slowly corrupted her. Why wouldn't she, not one single being had tried to win her hand even if it were just for the sake of an alliance or the throne. None of the kings, queens, princes and noble men had the courage to do so. Fearing her and her power, all looked differently on a family that would let the cursed ruler in their families.

One day her powers had finally taken their toll on her and almost cost the life of her the youngest sister. She was charged with assassination and high treason, forced to step down the throne and was put to death. But the loving younger sister knew, the cursed queen was not at fault. "Her heinous actions were made by the curse and not her." She desperately pleaded to the ministers, and so instead of death, she was banished into the icy northern mountains where she would live and suffer her horrible sins in seclusion for eternity. With unkempt rage and icy hatred, she left the kingdom to the welcoming embrace of isolation within her ice castle, gaining her the title "Snow Queen". Her existence erased from the records and history books, and was instead written as a legend.

Under the new queen's reign, the kingdom prospered and expanded. Time passed, things constantly changed and many wars bloomed and died. Kingdoms rise and fall, some changed into governments and some still prefered monarchies. The line of the snow queen became lost, some says that that fact was hidden even to the family as an extension of her punishment and to keep everyone thinking that the snow queen was just a part of old folk tales. But if you're brave and strong enough to trek the deathly path of the Northern mountains, you might get close enough to get a glimpse of her ice castle, and if your unlucky, you might get a glimpse of her. But once she gets a glimpse of you, you run better as fast your little legs can and pray to god, for only he could save you from her because she is the same as her powers: cold, merciless and **deadly**.

"Time for bed son." The mother cooed soothingly at her son as he tucked him into bed.

"Mom." The boy called onto his mother as he settled on his bed. "Is it really true?" The mother tilted her head in confusion, brows furrowing as she looked questioningly at her son. "The one you just told me? About the Snow Queen?"

The mother chuckled at his question, but took some time to think. After a minute, the mother smiled and caressed her son's cheek. "I don't know son. But they say **some** legends are based on truths."

"Is she the one making it snow every winter?" the child yawned at his mother who was about to take the candle that was stuck on the underside of a cup that was placed on the shabby cabinet.

"They say she does." She turned to the boy who was getting snugly under his ragged blanket. "Sometimes, she comes in a sled or carriage pulled, most of the times by snow white wolves, other times by pale white horses. Sometimes she takes the form a great white bird leaving a trail of snowflakes behind her, other times she takes the form of bees and her heart would take the lead as queen bee."

"When I *yawn* grow up. I'm going to *yawn* hunt the snow queen so that no one will suffer from the cold again."

The mother gasped in horror and shock. "Hans Christian ANDERSEN! That is no way for a child to talk." She scolded her sleepy son. "I don't want to hear any more of these nonsense."

"I'm sorry mom." The sleepy child managed to say in his state. "I thought you'd be happy."

She sighed and left the candle for the moment to sit beside him while he lay on his worn out bed. "My son." Her right hand placed upon his cheek. "Each story have different version of their own. You must find out what they are first before you judge each of the characters. Same in life, there are many sides in a story and for you to justly judge them and their actions, you must know all of them. Never judge someone by their looks and by what you hear of them. Do you understand?" The little boy nodded. She smiled at her son and kissed his forehead goodnight as he was lifted to a peaceful slumber.


	2. Chapter 1: Queen meets King

**Hiyo!**

**I know you got bored at the first chapter so here's a chapter with Pitch and Elsa.**

**Warning: They're a bit OOC.**

**The reasons behind Elsa's behavior are:**  
**1.) She doesn't know Pitch and she's wary towards him.**  
**2.) She doesn't know Pitch can summon living nightmares.**  
**3.) This is set after ROTG. She's mortal but due to the properties of ice like preservation and low temperature kills germs, bacteria, etc. She didn't age, she looks like what she was when she was crowned, she's immune to diseases but a stab in the heart, a shot in the head and she's dead.**

**AND hey I made music video feat. Pitch and Elsa. Please like! **  
**www. youtube watch ? v = xbVIAFbFs9w &amp; list = HL1397627069 &amp; feature = mh _ lolz (no space)**

* * *

**~~Chapter 1~~**

It had been quite some time since he was able to walk on the surface again. The sweet, cold crisp of the night breeze flowed against him, its gentle fingers combed his midnight hair back. Indeed, it had been a long time. And **time** is something you have the luxury to keep track off when you live in the darkness. The full moon's soft glow was shinning bright, the man in the moon watched him silently like the old times. The nightmares was once again in his command, they have drank off all of his fear of not existing, the fear of not to be believed in. They have sated their hunger, devouring all of his fear dry until nothing was left, leaving only loathing and emptiness in its wake. He needed to be alone, away from his nightmares for even if he had control over them he was too weak to use them properly. It was not yet time to summon them to the above ground, not until he had enough power to use even one of his nightmares. After that, everything would become easy. He chuckled at the thought.

Pitch Black wandered through the woods when the sun was gone and every human, man or child, was asleep in their beds. He wanted to be as far away from the sands of the sandman simply because he couldn't risk alarming the guardians that he was out prowling in the shadows once again. And if they knew, oh…. He would be sent back in his hole again, along with his unstable nightmares. Besides, the woods were always one of the best places he could get fear out from the humans. For dangerous things lives within and many vile things have happened in a vast forest like this.

Some he was forced to watch, for the fear drew him in and keeps him imprisoned, shackled to his place until the ghoulish events finally came to their ends along with a life or two. He snorted in sarcasm, and the guardians along with the whole world, thought that **he** was a monster to be feared when the humans are monsters themselves wrapped in colorful coats of false dignity and morals, pride and reputation. But once you peel them away, the true demon comes out to play. Killing each other for a shine of a coin, their basic instincts and primal urges along with their greed taking over their façade, it was enough to make an ordinary man sick. But he was no man and neither was he ordinary. He learned, for the lack of words, to get used to it. What the humans do to each other was not of his concern, only their fears matters to him, their belief in him.

The scent of pines and grass swirled around him, the chill of the night seemed to have intensified. Humans tend to camp in the forests like these, telling ghost stories in front of an open fire like their ancestors used to, and that was why he was here. Shadows were more frightening within the woods, full of dark places to hide and untold dangers, away from the comfort of the confines of their homes. A rattle of a nearby bush made him turn and summon his shadow scythe, ready to swing at the first sign of an attack. Have one of the guardians spotted him? Or did the man in the moon sent them to seal him in his lair again? No, that was not like him. Both **he** and him knew that he was too weak to be a threat and had no means to be one. And if he didn't do anything that made him one, **he**wouldn't move either.

A faint but calm voice echoed through the night. A female voice, Toothiana? No, that was highly unlikely, he was too far away from civilization for her to come here for a child's tooth. And if there were teeth to collect, she would have sent one of her baby tooth. But then again there were always possibilities that that might happen. He strained his ears to pick up any noises, the fluttering of wings or anything. All he heard was the symphony of the crickets and the sound of little rocks being crushed under someone's weight.

"Hello…." There it was again, the soft voice called out once more but this time it was accompanied by a figure slowly being defined by the moonlight. Branches of trees covered her face but he could make out something glittering. Slowly, the creature revealed itself from the trees. He was right at his first guess, she was a woman. She was stunning, her blue gown flowed with her well placed curves, a slit revealed smooth long legs wearing blue, crystal heeled-shoes. An off-shoulder see-through train glimmered with the light, it accentuated her pale silk-like skin. Platinum blonde hair was tied in a French braid and rested on her right shoulder. Gracefully, she walked to him, head held high and an air of sophistication and regality emanated out of her. The temperature around them dropped even lower, power seemed to seep off of her as she stopped three steps in front of him. Black lips drew a lazy grin on his face as he made the scythe melt back into the shadows, an inkling of the identity of the pale beauty on his sight.

"Your majesty." He bowed with a hand on his stomach and another behind him, never taking his gold taunting eyes off of her calm crystal blue ones. "Taking a midnight stroll perhaps," he teased as he stood straight. He started to walk around her, his hands behind his back."But I must say, this place is **very** inappropriate for someone of your….. *rolling his left wrist* stature." He gestured to her as he paused to let the words sink in and her rage to boil. "Isn't it?" He mocked, her blazing gaze never left his face at the insult.

"Whatever business I have here, is none of your concern, good sir." She spat with controlled rage. "Nor does anyone whose name I have not a hint of knowledge of." She glared at him and turned so that she fully faced him. "But it is of my duty to know what anyone's business they have within my kingdom."

"Your kingdom?" he scoffed at her words. "If I remember correctly, **Queen** Elsa, this**kingdom **of yours have already been taken down and was devoured by a new kingdom. Was it not?"

"Be as it may, this is still **my** territory and **my** responsibility and so as every creature, every life in this forest and this country." She stood proudly before him, refusing to back down. "I will ask only once, good sir." Her eyes burned with icy threat. "Who are you and why are you here?"

Pitch gave out a throaty laugh. What an interesting creature, this queen. "Very well then." He disappeared within the shadows. The snow queen gasped and readied herself to defend. "I am the monster beneath your beds, every humans' weakness, the **Boogeyman**of all the children of this world, the **king** of nightmares." His shadow figure appearing everywhere on the bark of the surrounding trees, circling her again as she kept turning behind her with every word he let out, knowing that he could appear behind her. "**I** am your darkest nightmares, the monster in your closets, the shadows at the back of your eyes. I am terror personified." Her arms were raised, he knew that with one flick of those fragile hands icicles would impale him if he was even a second late, but the smell of her was intoxicating and it bothered him.

Only the fascinating smell of fear would be the only scent that would make him crave more, but he did not smell it on her. Her scent, her smell, it was somewhat familiar and it sent shivers down his spine, a different kind from the ones he would inflict to others. Just a whiff, he only wanted whiff of her scent. So he stealthy appeared behind her as she strained to listen to his voice, he silently breathed in her scent. "I am **fear**." He whispered on her and watched her stiffen for a split second. But when he saw a slight swinging movement of her shoulder, he disappeared. A good decision though, because if he hadn't then he would have been impaled with six large icicles into a tree. "But then I would have such a common name wouldn't I." She turned to him just to see him casually leaning at a tree, arms crossed on across his chest. "So I prefer to be called Pitch Black." He pushed himself to stand as he neared her, she was still on her guard. "And I am here to instill **fear**to the hearts of the humans." He stopped a feet away from her. "Does that answer your question, your highness?" a sly smile on his face while he observed hers.

He thought she would be scared of him, trembling in utter terror and running as far away as possible now that he revealed himself to her but instead she showed something different. She smiled at him, a hand in her chin as her eyes roamed up and down his features. "You say you are fear." The blond queen put her hands down and went to him until their faces were inches from each other. "Then why don't we put it to the test?" a hint of taunt in her voice.

He raised an eyebrow at her challenge, his eyes still on the queen as she walked slowly away to his right deeper into the woods. This woman kept on surprising him, making his interest grow. A woman who smiles in the face of terror, who challenges the shadows without even squirming on the weight of his gaze. She paused and glanced back at him, and eyebrow rose in silent provocation. This will be fun. He whispered to himself, following behind the cold queen. "Aren't you curious of how I know of you?"

"Rumors makes reputation I believe." She glanced at him with a smug face as they continued to walk. "And as you said, you are fear. You must've visited me quite often. I had a lot of those when I was young."

"*chuckle* Quite right you are, your highness." He remembered how fragile she was, how easily she was frightened of her powers. He loved how her fear tasted, but he had an army to create so he left her. But he wanted to make sure she would still fear so he left a shadow to whisper doubts in her ears. When he felt that shadow disappear, he assumed she was dead for no matter how much power she wields, she was still a mortal. But now it seemed she was able to overpower that shadow.

"Please, call me by my name. I haven't heard of those petty honorifications ages ago, good sir."

"As you wish, Elsa-"

"But don't forget my title. You still haven't proven yourself, therefore you have not yet gain any right to call me by my name alone."

"Very well, **Queen** Elsa, But why not call me by mine."

"I only call anyone by name if they have proven themselves worthy of my respect."

They were at the edge of a forest even though he thought that they were at the belly of the forest. A large circle a tree-free area was before them, in that area humans slept, some on the stomps of trees and some on the grassy ground. Large piles of logs were amassed a kilometer away from the mortals. His brow scrunched up in confusion as he surveyed the area, then he looked at the woman beside him. "You said you are fear." The queen inquired again. "Prove it by scaring these men away."

Pitch's eye twitched in sudden stab of annoyance. He was still invisible to the children, how would he scare adults. Granted he used to have a grip on them, but now he have only a fraction and not as powerful as he have in the children. "Forgive me, but we might have a bit of a problem." He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he kept his patience in check. The snow queen just looked at him questioningly. "They cannot see me." To prove his point, he disappeared and reappeared in front of a watchman. He stood in front of him, waved his hand in his face but the human had no reaction whatsoever. The shadow man looked the queen in the eye and shoved his hand on the person's head. She gasped as his hand went through the person, he pulled back and vanished, reappearing beside her.

"Yes that is a problem." Her arms crossed under her chest as she kept her eyes ran through the area. "Yet you can control the shadows I presume."

"Yes, but mere shadows do not frighten them anymore." A dash of disappointment in his voice as his eyes trained on every figure in the area.

"Then I offer my help." His eyes widen in surprise, he whipped his head to his companion in disbelief. "All you need is ask."

He grinned, she offered to use her powers to make these humans fear the shadows again. Finally, he had met someone that embraced fear, someone who shared his ambition to spread it, to use it. She would become a very valuable ally if he only play his cards right. "Can you, Queen Elsa, assist me in scaring these humans away from your beloved forest?"

She smiled "Yes." She looked back into the path where they came from. "But first, come with me." Hastily, she walked back into a dark corner of the path, with him tailing from behind. When she was settled with where they were, she looked back at him with curiosity and excitement twinkling in her eyes. The grin from before was still on his face. "Summon your shadows." She commanded, he scoffed and summoned as many shadows as he could, trying to show her that he was to be feared and not to be bossed around. The only reason he did not snap at her was because he wanted to find out where she was going with this. Shadows of various sizes circled her, on the barks, on the ground but instead of being afraid, she was smiling and looked like she was contemplating on something, that hit a nerve in him but he tried to keep himself from trying to make his shadows attack her. He still needs an ally, he tried to remind himself. "Impressive, but can you manifest it in your hand?"

"*tsk* Child's play." With a roll of his wrist, the shadows disappeared and on his left palm, a black ball that looked like black fireball, tendrils were coming out of it and waved in the air.

She came closer to examine the one on his hand, her face was etched in fascination as her right hand hovered above it. She mirrored his movement, a roll of her of her right wrist, snowflakes appeared from thin air circling her hand that looked like white dust from far away. Cautiously, her hand touched the ball and his eyes fixed on that hand, her fingers slowly pushing through and the ball gave way to the weight. The particles flowed through her fingers like sand even until her hand was resting atop his. But the shadows didn't dissolve back to nothingness. No. They mixed with the dust-like snowflakes of the blond woman's hand. It twirled, spiraled and danced around their hands. The power tickled in the back of his hand, on his wrist. His hand firmly enclosed on hers, his gray hand contrasting with her pale skin, as their magic combined, he could feel it, the cold and the darkness making each other stronger. Her hand fit snuggly in his, his eyes shifted up to see her face, it glowed with excitement as her eyes followed the movements of the black and white dusts, a warmth spread in him. Unknown to him, his long forgotten heart started to beat again, the feeling of warmth, comfort and peace were somewhat familiar yet disturbing. Suddenly a flash of memory halted his thoughts. It was for a split second, and it was gone. He couldn't even remember what it was.

"Now try to imagine a form." Her voice pulled him out of his thoughts. She looked up to him, her smile was getting wider and wider by the minute by the prospect of her discovery. He shrugged and a form of a human with a thousand eyes popped in his mind. "After three, let go and keep the form in your mind." He nodded, and she pulled back their hands, still connected, their hold like they were dancing. "1,2…" she swished their hands outward. "3." Both of them let go, the swirling black and white dust rushed forward in front of them, slowly they took form. It was the same one in his mind, but this one had long sharp fingers made of ice, its hands were like black sticks. Its eyes glowed a fierce yellow like his, its shoulder spikes of ice with a touch of black gleamed dangerously at the night. Its teeth were jagged black ice, its body stretched like a shadow as it stood menacingly, towering over them. "This will do quite nicely, don't you think." She stated staring at the creature created by their power.

"Yes, quite well." He chuckled darkly as the creature eyed its creators.

"Follow us, try to blend with the shadow." She told the creature and it nodded. With that she went back to the clearing where the humans still lay asleep a few were awake as look outs, the creature slithered on the ground while Pitch watched in astonishment and helplessly followed. "Pitch, can you claw the wood of the trees?" she asked as she hid behind a tree.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Like this." Her fingertips covered in sharp ice as she dug it in the wood of the tree and raking it down creating a slow scratching sound, leaving claw marks on the bark. The mortals that were awake jumped at the sound, guns ready in their hands. She lifted her hands, eyes trained on him with great expectation. He smiled at her as he got the gist of her plan.

"Of course." He disappeared into the darkness and reappeared at some part of the edge of the forest, his eyes and set of sharp teeth glowed sinisterly. Like what the snow queen did, he manipulated the shadows to sharpen his fingertips and scratched a tree nearby out of sight of the alert men. He disappeared as they turned his way and appeared somewhere again and scratched a tree noisily. Some of the watchmen woke their companions, the smell of fear reeked the through the forest. He summoned shadows on the surface of the trees, unsettling the humans as the shadows were not normal. It weren't shadows of animals they knew. The satisfying taste of fear filled him with demonic glee as he continued his routine.

The wind had become more chilly than he remembered and he disappeared and reappeared again within the shadows. His gaze moved to where he remembered he left the blond queen. However, she was gone. His eyes searched for her but caught a glimpse but of the creature hiding in the shadows growling like a wild animal. This made the humans more riled up, terror was slowly setting in as the fear entered him from every pores of his body. His eyes flutter shut as his power pulsed inside him, his head thrown back in dark pleasure. A low rumble of satisfaction emanated from his throat as the sensation creeped into his veins. His hand that rested on a tree trunk sunk its claws into the wooden flesh, the humans were starting to panic. He forced his eyes to open, surveying the scared humans until he finally caught sight of the cold queen. _So that's why it was getting cold._ He smirked at the realization. She was using her powers to make it colder. The chill of the cold and fear mixing into the blood of the mortals making them more terrified as seconds ticked by. The rustle of the trees and bushes they made had the humans huddle back to back, the fast beats of their hearts were like music in his ears. They turned and pointed their weapons at the sounds they pick up.

A sound of an owl could be heard from the queen and the creature took it as the signal. It dove on the ground and slithered its way to the small cramp space at the center of the human circle. Slowly, it rose from the ground. The humans stopped as they heard it growl like an animal from the pits of hell. Its body became slim as it tried to avoid contact with the humans. It blocked the light of the moon as its reached its full height, making the humans in front of the creature acknowledge its presence. Carefully, they all turned to come face to face with the devilish creature. Its thousand eyes made the humans pale in fright. All of them started backing away from the creature as it raised its sharp hands, displaying them as a deadly threat. Their breathing heavy in effort, none wanted to make a move. With a deep breath, it roared a blood curdling scream, teeth with jagged black ice reflected their fright-filled faces that made the humans scream in terror. Some of them fled as fast as their feet could carry them, but some chose to fight.

Those who had guns started to shoot at it, some decided to throw at it with rocks and axes, but the creature stood unaffected. The projectiles only passed through the shadow-ice monster, hurting each other in the process. The bullet that passed through would sometimes hit the trees, but most of the time it would hit soft tissues. Fortunately for them, none of them got hit with the axe nor were seriously hurt for the monster would sometimes deflect the axe and bullet making them hit the dirt and stomps. The creature roared in madness as it became agitated, it started swinging its arms at them, its eyes blinked in unsynchronized manner. It managed to scratch one of the humans on the face and he hauled in pain. One of them tried to shoot it on the back, but it only angered the monster and swung its hand on the insolent fool, leaving a large crac on the ground.

Pitch Black breathed in all of their emotions which were mostly fear, desperation and defeat. Adrenaline was crawling all over him as he felt himself getting stronger, the screams of fright, the shouts of dread. Oh… how he missed them. Then he heard one of them shouted at his fellow men that there were no more bullets, that they were retreating. Some carried the injured, while some assisted the ones that can walk but an injury on their legs made them slower but some plainly ran for their lives not caring for their comrades. He wanted more, of their fear, of their despair, he was about to command the creature to follow them, to not let them escape. But cold hand rested firmly on his shoulder making him turn. The queen, with a serious look in her eyes shook her head. He growled, he didn't want to back down. It had been a long while since he scared adults, it's been a while to have seeped off so much fear in one night at all since his defeat. On the other hand, he would create another enemy to fight and he just got a smudge of his power back. He knew that this amount of power did not even put a dent to how much power she had at her disposal. So, with dismay he watched the humans run, their figures growing smaller as they ebbed away through the trees, as he complied to her silent request. His fist curled, trembling as he tried to control himself.

A squeeze on his shoulder, he turned to look at her. A small smile offered to him as she slowly let her hand fall and walk towards their monster. He watched her solemnly, trying to get into her mind, trying to find ways to manipulate her but he was at loss. She had surprised him with her knowledge of how to make people fear, the joyous mischief he saw flashed in her eyes. And now as he watched her stand proudly before the creature created with both their power, he smiled triumphantly. He had found an ace to use against the guardians. She would perfectly fit the role Jack Frost refused to play.

The creature bowed down before her, he approached them, and curiously watching what she would do next. She gracefully lifted both her hands higher and higher. The ice from the monster slowly fall apart, small pieces started to float in the form of snowflakes until only his shadow was left. The snowflakes gathered above her forming a giant snowflake on the sky as her hands clasped each other above her head. When her hands broke apart, so did the snowflakes and they all evaporate into thin air. The form of the creature made from his shadow started to waver, with so much light from the moon, the creature collapsed and dissolved back into darkness again, he frowned at the sight. Such a magnificent creature made from cold and dark that he could have used faded right before his eyes. Such a waste.

"Congratulations." Her voice cheery and light, all he could see was her back, stopping just a foot away from her. The emotion on her voice made the frown a little less pronounce, turning it into a straight line. "You've proven yourself." She turned with an accepting smile, a hint of delight in her eyes. "Pitch Black."

"I couldn't have done it without you. Snow Queen."

"Please, call me Elsa."

He went a step closer, his eyes soften in endearment, the image of her face in the moonlight ingraining in his mind. "Elsa…" he let the name roll on his tongue, he savored it and, strangely, he liked it. A light blush bloomed on her cheeks, if his eyes weren't sharp and used to darkness, he wouldn't have been able to see it. A smug smile plastered on his face, even though she was the snow queen she was radiating warmth, he could feel it with how close he was to her, he basked in it, relished. That was until she took a step back, with a deep breath, she composed herself.

"I have nothing more to do here." Elsa curtsied. "I bid you farewell, Pitch." She stood straight and turned, her back at him, then walking forward into the forest again.

"Can I see you again?" she stopped and whipped her head at him. Her brow raised in intrigue, as he explained further. "It's rare to meet someone who likes to inflict fear like I do."

"I do not like fear." Her face was serious, but her voice had a little high note to it indicating that there was something she knew that he didn't. "I just use it to my advantage." His brows scrunched up in confusion as he tried to grasp what she was saying. "Tell me. The people who were just here, did I came upon them before I came upon you? Did I already knew where to find them, or was it just a coincidence? Did they do something to deserve it or was it only just on a whim?"

Gradually, he grasped what she was implying. He gave out a throaty laugh, showing off his sharp set of teeth as he clapped his hands. He roared in laughter as he pieced it all together, he was used without him even knowing it. "Very well, played Elsa." He grinned at her as he marveled at her deep understanding of fear and effectively using it for her gain. One of fear's characteristics was control, she already revealed to him that she treated this place as her kingdom. So it was easy to figure out that he used her challenge to him to scare them into obedience, what they did to make her use this tactic did not matter to him. "Using fear to keep the ants in line, the classics. *chuckle* It's been a while since I met someone like you. How about for a civil and sensible conversation then? I won't force you to try and spread fear. Surely you won't deny me that."

She stood there thinking, her right hand holding her left side while her left hand held her chin. "Hmmm….. Very well." She put her hands down, a smile was on her face but couldn't read what kind it was. "It has been a while since I have an intellectual conversation with anybody." She rested her hands on her side. "You can visit me in my ice castle. But you cannot come after 1 in the morning 'till the sun rises fully."

He scoffed at her, "Forgive me, dear Elsa but as you know darkness can't keep track of time."

She chuckled light heartedly, "Don't worry, you'll know without even having to know what the time is." That was it and she turned again and walked towards the forest. One hand on the trail of her train and swished it in front of her, the cloth changed into tiny snowflakes encircling her until she was gone, not even a hint that she was even there.

The king of nightmare smirked, he would bide his time. Words can change one's mind easily as it can make them. Soon, he would draw her to his side, she would be his for the taking, and they would spread fear far faster than anyone can scream. And the guardians would be powerless against them. With some of his power regained he summoned his favorite nightmare, Onyx. The black mare appeared before him, calm and obedient. Carefully, he placed his hand on the bridge of its nose. It leaned to his hand and neighed, its eyes glowing bright. He climbed up and sat on its back. He would collect fear in this place and he wouldn't even have to lift a finger, he would use the snow queen's tactic against her. He pulled at the black sand reign in his hands to make the horse turn, with the reign, he made the mare move forward. The guardians wouldn't be able to detect his movements because he would only be watching, in the shadows, in the darkness while the queen unknowingly spread fear on her own.

A bone chilling laugh echoed throughout the forest, as his figure melted into the darkness, soon Pitch Black would return and his existence would be remembered again. But this time **he** will never be forgotten ever again.


	3. Chapter 2: Turning of the Wheels

**A/N: **Sorry for the wait and (for me) a short chapter. I know I had to post something so I rushed this. Supposedly, this and the next chapter is one but I thought people might think this fic is dead so I really know I had to post something. So... Please enjoy this chapter because the next one is coming up, just tweaking the fight scene since I'm a little rusty. If you have any suggestion, don't be shy to put it with the your review. Standard fanfiction rules apply.

* * *

~~Chapter 2~~

On the other part of the forest that night, the trolls have been busier more than they usually were. Oh, they exist just as the sun and the moon does. Unlike the guardians, they were very shy creatures to the extent that the guardians themselves are scarcely aware of their existence and only knew that they preferred to stay within forest grounds. They arranged everything in the forest, from the pebbles under your feet to the coal and diamonds you mine below. They were the masters of mineral and yielders of the night sky. They help the animals, sometimes people, in their time of needs and help trees grow strong and tall. What you've known of trolls from stories are not real, well most of them. In contrast of what you might have heard, they are not vile, disgusting, stupid, grotesque nor cannibal beings. Rather, they are jolly, helpful, caring, wise and loveable fellows who took care of the woods. You see them too, although you're not aware of them. They are the boulders you see in the woods. Like any other mystical beings they roam around at night for the same reason all enchanted beings do, to hide from the humans. They come in a variety of sizes: small, big, medium and heavy, really heavy. As nocturnal creatures, they naturally are asleep in the morning and awake at night. That's why no matter what you do to them, they are not able to move and hit you in the head for stepping on their backs.

They were also beings of ancient, born when the world was still young. As beings that old, they knew so many things. They were wise and knowledgeable. They witnessed great many things, events that even the oldest records and historians weren't able to tell or are aware of. Yet they were not immortal. Just like the guardians, their existence depended on something and that was the forest. As long as the forest they were made to protect exists, so will they. Women trolls wore red or pink crystals while male trolls wore blue or green, but only one troll wore the yellow ones because only the king of trolls had the right to wear them. These crystals glow whenever they speak.

Pabbie, the troll king, stood at the ledge of the base of the mountain that overlooks the the 'Valley of the Living Rocks', the troll's home. His green moss-made cape swayed at the breeze gentle fingers along with his lion-like mane. He watched as some trolls went to plant seeds and sproutlings, some created different kinds of stones and gold and giving them to the moles to hide underneath the earth and the young ones practiced their magic. Scratching his stone-skinned cheeks, his ear-hair tickling his stone round earlobes as he continued to listen to the howl of the wind that brought him different stories to different events, memorizing every detail as he undoubtedly would write it a little later. "Hehehe…. It has been quite a while since you left that place." He said with a kind, scratchy voice as he felt the cold presence behind him drew nearer. "So. How are things?"

"Not good." It replied. With a friendly smile in the old troll's lips he turned to the visitor as it wobbled towards him because of how short his legs were contrasting his big, round, snow-made body. "It's getting the worse each day. The humans aren't of any help either."

The old troll chuckled mirthlessly as he surveyed the three of the many bald spots of the forest. "They are becoming more aggressive and violent creatures as centuries pass." He turned to his friend and patted his back. "Please thank her majesty for her help."

The other gave a jolly laugh as his stick hands wrested on the troll's mushroom sprouting back. "You know she would do anything for you guys, especially you. You're like a father to her and she can't say no to you, 'member?" His tone became serious as he remembered the real reason he came here. "I thought it would be different. I thought that **she** would be different. But history keeps on repeating itself again and again."

Sighing, the troll leaned to his wooden staff as he reminisces of the past. "No. She is different." The snow turned to him with knitted brows in confusion. "She will be the one who will fulfill the prophecy." He turned to his companion with dead serious eyes. "She will be the end."

The look of dread painted his face as he understood what the ancient being meant. "No. Not her. Please not her." He pleaded more to himself than the troll before him. He had wished for the end a million times, but now that it came and knowing that it was her that would end with this, it all seems meaningless. But he knew it was true. Deep within himself he knew it to be true, but it did not stop him to doubt. "And what makes you so sure of this."

"For the wind has given me news. It seemed the wheels of fate had begun turning on us." The troll's grip on his staff tightened, his tone was grim and absolute. "**He** has already sent word to his chosen ones. All we need is to wait."

"He? Who's he?"

He chuckled and ruffled the stick hair of his companion. "He's a friend. He calls himself the 'Man In the Moon'."

* * *

Streaks of colorful lights lit up in the sky very late at night. The North Pole was cold with winds raging, the very reason why Jack Frost arrived far earlier than the others. North had called on all the guardians, the northern lights danced above his workshop until the last guardian had arrived.

The main hall was littered with desert-and-chocolate serving elves and big, hairy Big Foots managing the control panels of the big, round globe with little lights decorating it. Tooth has been flying to-and-fro, barking cities after cities to her babytooths. Bunnymund on the other hand kept complaining to Sandman how his feet hurt and frozen solid to which his companion suggested he were shoes or mittens to his feet. While big ol' Saint Nick was running a hole on the ground, oblivious to the world around him. And the winter prankster, even though he knows how serious the matter is, never passes a good opportunity to cause a little bit of mischief.

The clicking of his boots became a rhythm that helps him think cautiously. The Man In the Moon had called on his attention, although he tried talking to **him**, he wouldn't say anything. And when he tries to put it aside, the **he** kept calling on him. So he thought that if the guardians were assembled maybe, just maybe, he would then reveal what **he **had in mind. But was it necessary? Was it wise to call on everyone for a simple- "FROGSONTHEBENCH!"

"Waaahhh!" the winter spirit caught him off guard and slipped on a little puddle of chocolate spill landing his butt on an innocent elf that was just about to clean it up. The poor elf tried to get out of the way at the last minute but got caught. The impact was great that the elf threw the rag he was holding to another elf's face that was holding a tray fresh batch of cookies. The rag slapped the elf's face so hard that he was knocked over and threw the tray up into the air. Tooth was busy barking orders that she hadn't noticed a silver tray coming at her until it was on her face and she was lying flat on the ground. The five little fairies were so shocked that they weren't able to dodge cookies that, based on their size, were heavy as hell. Unfortunately, the elf with the rag on his face was near the Sandman that he knocked him over causing him to spill the little yellow man's mug of hot coco on the rabbit's freezing foot resulting for him to jump up and down while holding his foot up screaming: "My foot! My Foot! My bloody, big foot!" which caused another disaster because a big foot heard him and thought the rabbit was making fun of him which made him very angry and throwing an elf that was just passing by directly at the bunny's mouth while he complained in Yeti language.

The youngest guardian just laughed at the fiasco he caused and watched Bunny tearing throats with a yeti while North tries to calm everyone down.

"What are ya lookin' at me like that for? He started it." Bunny complained to North in his Australian accent. "He just threw me an elf with no reason."

The Russian in a red jumpsuit stared at the Yeti with an eyebrow arched in suspicion. It grumbled something and Saint Nick turned back to his fellow guardian. "Danny said he heard ya' sayin' 'bloody big foot'. It's not nice."

"It was an expression." The pooka pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried control his temper. "Okay. Know what. I'm just gonna say sorry 'kay. Didn't mean to upset ya'." Then the Yeti grumbled and scratched the back of his head and turned away to go back to his station.

"Danny says. It's okay, he's sorry too. Although, he meant to throw toy in your mouth so you choke." The bearded man laughed as he patted the bunny's back in good nature.

"And I thought rabbit's feet **are** lucky." Jack snickered, and with the pooka's big ears, he heard everything the white haired boy said.

"What did you say, mate?" he said with annoyance in his voice and a fierce glare to match. His face an inch away from his. "Wanna say that to my face."

The white haired teenager pulled back, swatting his hand on invisible flies. "Oh God. Gee, man. Not that close. Your breath smells like skunk's butt. Would it kill you to brush your teeth once a century?"

"All right, you two. Break it up." The bearded guardian appeared between them, his huge body acting as a wall between the two.

"Whooo…. I was a bit woozy there." The feathered woman popped up with her fairies smiling like nothing happened. "So." Her hands folded neatly together while her wings kept her afloat. "What's up?"

Sandy nodded and a question mark appeared above his head.

"Yeah. What's the meeting all about?" Jack said while he sat at the railing near the globe. "We came as soon as we saw the lights."

"Is this about Pitch?" Bunnymund whispered cautiously, but everyone heard him because everyone in the room stood still.

"I do not know." He walked as he stroked his beard. "Man In Moon acting weird, won't say. That is why I called you." Gesturing to the guardians in the room, his voice came at a high pitch as he ended his sentence.

There was silence, as if on cue the lights dimmed and the celling opened, letting the light of the moon in and illuminate the room. Slowly, shadow started to form inside the round patch of light on the ground. A few seconds later, the shadows formed a giant, intricate-designed snowflake.

"So this is how you got warned about Pitch." Jack whispered to the little, yellow man standing beside him but got shushed out by everyone.

The snowflake got smaller and moved up but stayed within the circle of light. Then a figure soon appeared, a figure of a woman with hands held outwards, spirals coming out of her hands. Then the shadows changed and turned to a figure everyone knew of. "Pitch Black." Tooth voiced out her suspicion and not one of them disagreed with her. But it did not stop there, the figures changed back to the woman and the snowflake. It gradually changed, on the woman's hand the spirals became crooked and edgy, on her neck were like sharp spikes and lines that resembled a structure of a snowflake coming out of the figure until the some of it were sticking out of the head. The snowflake above the figure's head grew and grew until it looked like different kinds of snowflakes put together in one snowflake. The guardians understood, Pitch would corrupt her and become evil like him.

North's face was scrunched up in worry, thinking a war was upon them again. He looked up with reluctant eyes. "What must we do?" he asked the Man In the Moon.

The shadows shifted again, this time the woman appeared. The only thing shown was her upper body and she was not alone. In front of her was a shadow resembling that of Jack frost. Everyone looked at each other with wide and confused eyes that soon fell on Jack. Out of thin air, an hourglass appeared in the middle of the shadows. Before they could ask anything more, the moonlight faded and the lights went back on.

"Woah." The winter spirit leaned his head against his wooden staff that was planted on the ground and held it tightly. Still staring at the ground where the moonlight was once was with unease. "That was mind blowing." He turned to his friends. "Anyone got an idea who was that."

Sandy was the first one to raise his hand and images started to pop up on top of his head. First it was an image of the snowflake the saw, then a crown, then a mountain and the last one was an image of a country from a world map.

"Her? That can't be. She's a mortal. She could be dead by now." Bunnymund reasoned out.

"Or not." North countered. "She could still be alive. She is only one we know like Jack." He gestured to the confused winter spirit.

Raising his hand he tried to butt in the argument that had seemed to begin between the rabbit and the old man. "Ah. Hello, excuse me?" He waved his hand while the other held his wooden staff. "Hey, guys! GUYS! **GUYS!**" That caught their attention. "Who's what and who's who?"

All of them looked at each other. Tooth flew forward, her hands folded on her chest like in a prayer. "See Jack, there have been…. Stories… Stories of someone, other than you, that could do what you do. Control the frost and snow." She took in a deep breath. "They call her the 'Snow Queen' and she lives in some mountain. Rumors have it, from beings like us," She gestured to herself and to the others. "that she lives in the Northern ice peaked mountain in Norway in a place that used to be called Arendelle, alone."

"She is mysterious, as she is elusive." Bunny interjected. "Not one of us has seen her for centuries. Sure we saw her as a kid, but when a war started over there centuries ago, we never saw her again."

"Or even heard of her again." North slapped the winter spirit's back. "Then, slowly stories of snow queen went about the humans. We don't know if is true, But we soon find out." The old man smiled an encouraging smile at the boy and went to pick up the small hourglass. Intriguingly, the sand on top was not flowing down as fast as it should be. "We need to hurry, Man In Moon gave us limited time." He lifted one meaty finger in the air as he turned and prepare to leave. "Remember. Pitch is out there, do not approach her alone. You find her, contact everyone and wait for the others to arrive. We don't know what dangers we might bump into." He turned to Tooth with serious eyes. "Tooth, could you spare each of us a babytooth so we could contact each other." Toothiana looked at each of the babytooth with her, all of them nod in determination. She looked back to North and nodded, each of the babytooth went straight for Jack. They were arguing who would go with him, pulling each other's wing while Jack tried to break off the fight. The other guardians just watched the scene dumbfounded. "Well…. That was unexpected." The big, round man looked up to the winged guardian who was currently blushing in embarrassment. "Tooth, would you mind?"

This caught the attention of the tooth fairy and she whistled one loud and long note that immediately stopped the fight and for the little fairies to fall in line. One by one, Toothiana designated each fairy to a guardian. With that done, the guardians went their separate ways to look for this mysterious snow queen, but one thing was on the young Frost's mind: How come they were the same? And what does the Man In the Moon's plan for them both?


	4. Chapter 3: Chess Pieces

**A/N: **As promised, new chapter! I'm really on the roll on writing this fic. I can't bring myself to update my other stories. Somehow, this fic is getting my undivided attention for some un known reason. So, I've decided tthat after chapter 4 (or chapter 5 if the scene I want to finish can't be contained within 4000+ words), I'm going to update my "You'll never be alone" fic. It's a PixEls or frigid darkness or PitchxElsa fic but a wee bit darker. And the fic where I encountered "Stockholm Syndrome" (Did I spell it right?) word.

Anyway, please enjoy! And a **"HAPPY**** HALLOWEEN!**"

(Mine and Pitch's favorite holiday! But there aren't any real horror movies airing today. Unfortunately, everyone here just looks forward for Chrismas... DAMN YOU NORTH!)

* * *

**~~Chapter 3~~**

After days of searching the guardians have finally found where the Snow Queen lived. The rumors have been right, she really lived on top of an ice capped mountain. It was hard to locate it with the names and features of the cities constantly changing through the millennia, but they found it. Nærøyfjord in Western Norway, it was the new name of the place that was once called Arendelle. One thing they noticed was how vast the forest here was. Most cities would have smaller forest, although they could see the bald spots it still did not cease them to be amazed, especially when they could feel the lingering resence of ancient beings.

The sun was setting when Tooth found the place or should she say palace. It was huge and made of ice. The blazing red and orange colors the setting sun produced illuminated the whole place, its lights reflected and refracted the colors magnificently. The scene was spectacular, unlike any what the winged guardian had ever seen creating an ambiance of magic, beauty and mystification. The power radiating from inside the castle told her that she should get the others quickly. Once everyone was at the base of the mountain, they all went to the ice castle. Darkness has already settled in, their surroundings lay quiet and still.

"Wow." Jack took in the image of the castle in wonderment. "I mean wow. Look at this." A hand brushed his silvery hair in disbelief. "Oh my god. This is unbelievable. She's got to teach me how to do one of those." In front of them was an ice castle, a huge crevice was under a flight of stairs made of ice. It was cut clean and smooth, there was no chip or anything. It was perfectly sculpted. A huge boulder of snow was beside the beginning of the stairs.

"She's good." North mumbled under his breath, a hand on the youngster's shoulder. "She can be good ally."

Bunnymund shivered against the cold chill of the mountain air. "Why d-do they ha-ave to b-be in so-some p-place c-cold?" he stuttered as he felt his feet numb from the snow he was stepping on. The sandman scolded him that he should have considered a coat or sweater or something. "Yeah. Yeah."

As they went nearer the stairs of the castle, they felt a familiar presence which made them stop as realization sunk in. They looked at each other frantically and nodded to each other as they sprinted for the stairs and those that fly flew for the door or a window. They have been bested by Pitch. He was already there, they needed to get there fast before Pitch can corrupt her any further than he already had.

Jack, Toothiana and Sandman were a few feet away from the stairs above the ground when suddenly, out of nowhere, they were grabbed by a very big and cold hand. With one screech, they were flung in front of North and Bunny which were standing still, petrified of what they saw. In front of them was a huge snow giant, it had holes with blue light for eyes, body made of snow and fingers of ice. It had no teeth and tongue, just a big, wide mouth.

"Go away!" it cried at them.

"Sorry mate." The Easter bunny called out, taking out his boomerangs from behind him, North unsheathed his swords, Tooth readied herself for an attack, Sandy brought out his whip and Jack Frost gripped his staff tighter. "But we have to get in there, like it or **not**!" he threw two of his boomerang at the giant, hitting it on the head. It did nothing to the giant but infuriate him more. With an inhumane scream, it changed its appearance. The thick ice fingers became sharp, pointed claws and jagged icicle teeth. Everyone charged to meet the monster in battle.

* * *

"King's knight to d5." Elsa said as she held her chin with sophistication with her elbows resting on her side of the table where the board made of ice and black sand and watched a knight in white armor riding a white horse move. The clinking of its ice hooves against the ice chess board resonated throughout the room until it arrived to the location she mentioned. The body of the horse made from compressed and hard snow so that it would not give way to its rider's weight. Its weapon of choice was an ice sword and snow shield. The knight himself was made of snow but some parts of his armor were made of ice like his helmet, like all of her chess pieces.

Her pieces were kind of medieval. Her pawns were snow wolves, standing proudly on their four feet with their head held high and chest out full of pride. Its faces and whole body made of snow. They had blue crystal-like eyes but had no pupil. Its claws, teeth bared with their fangs jutting out, made of flawless, sharp ice that seemed to gleam and poise to kill at any moment. Her towers or rooks were towers made of ice with archers on top positioned like a compass' north, south, east, west, also made of both ice and snow. Her two bishops looked more like advisers or ministers than priests, staffs on the right hands and scrolls on the left. Sitting elegantly upon a throne made of ice was an ice and snow statuette of her, obviously the queen. Every piece were very detailed, every piece came alive as she commanded them.

If you paid enough close attention on the detail, you would see that all of the pieces bore a crest on them. The pieces on the queen's side you could see a crests of her snowflake on every pieces: on the pendant of the collar of the wolves, the imprint on the towers' walls, on the knight's shield and most noticeable one was the big one above the queen's throne. While on the pieces on the king's side bore a crest of a crocus at the same places the snowflake crest could be found on the pieces in the queen's side.

It wasn't really all that weird, but the one that bothered him the most, the one thing Pitch found bizarre, was the piece she chose to be her king, the figure sitting on the king's throne… was a figure of a happy snowman with its stick hand up like it was gaily waving his hand on him. Every time he glimpses on this piece, his eyebrow involuntary twitches in unreasonable irritation. Like the figure was mocking him, mocking the position and rank of the king. He wanted to crush that annoying piece and replace it as quickly as possible. What annoyed him further was not the destruction of the piece, but on what it would be replaced with. Although it was a chess piece, he was clearly bothered by her choice of king and bothered even frustratingly more was why he even feels that way for something so little.

After surveying her pieces to come up with a counter attack, he surveyed his own pieces. His pieces were made of black sands and shadows. His pawns were little disfigured, ghostly-looking fearlings. His tower looked like an abandoned, haunted tower with gnarly, dried vines that crept on the wall. On top were archers the same position as her archers only they looked humanoid with frightening monstrous heads. One looked like an ogre with his bald head and huge fangs protruding out of his lips. The second one looked like a human with griffin head, another had snake head and tail, the other had dragon head and whiskers while the last one resembled a gargoyle because of his horns, demonic face and bat wings. His knights were his nightmares with their wild mane blowing against the inexistent wind.

His bishops looked like the armored grim reapers. He kinda felt nostalgic as their armors resembled his-no, resembled Kozmotis armor when he was still a general of the Tzar's army. Sitting with his back leaning against the king's throne was a figure of him with his fingers intertwined and elbows resting on the hand rest, what more fitting role could he play. All of the pieces' eyes blazed an ever fiery yellow except for one. His 'queen' sat with her hands on her lap. Even though the details on it indicated it had eyes, it wasn't yellow like the others but pure black. Its long hair flowed wildly down her shoulders. A piece that had intrigued the snow queen as soon as he made it. And she kept on eyeing it even as they played.

"If you have a question in your mind, dear Elsa," His voice flowed like silk rubbing on silk as he stroked his chin while his eyes were kept on the board. "just say it and you might receive an answer, rather than just staring at my 'queen' all throughout our game." He looked up and sure enough, he caught her eyes which were wide in surprise but then avoided his in what he could guess as embarrassment of being caught red handed. The nightmare weaver just smirked at her action. "I must say, it would rather be boring if we continued playing with your mind elsewhere." A deep chuckle emanated from him. "And that would be quite a disappointment since I fight another royalty that is at the same rank as I." He looked back down to the game and ordered. "Bishop takes Knight on d5."

His piece began to move and the miniature horse began to neigh on the incoming enemy. When the bishop was one foot away from it, the knight swung its sword downwards but the bishop side stepped it and swung its scythe, aiming for the horse's neck but the knight managed to block it with his shield. The sound a metal hitting a glass echoed within the ice room. The tip of the scythe pierced the hard snow shield. The blade of the scythe that went through the shield managed to encase the knight's wrist when the black piece tilted it up. With one swift pull, the wrist of the snow knight detached from its whole arm. The cut off part bounced on the board's floor with the destroyed shield.

The knight raised his sword to strike the bishop's head but the bishop was far much faster and tore off the other arm. Using the sharp butt of the staff that held the blade of the scythe, it stabbed the knight on its stomach, its armor shattered with the impact. The scythe wielding bishop raised the handicapped knight high into the air and threw him on the crystal-ice ground. Stepping on the knight's chest, it wrenched out its weapon. The horse was about to retaliate and was about to kick him on the back, but he turned and with one fluid motion the horse laid on the ground, headless. It turned its attention back to its victim and the blade of the scythe rested on the knight's neck. One swift but powerful downward hack, the knight joined the fate of his trusted steed.

The bishop had won, it stayed at the square where it had killed and where the white knight used to stand, then returned to its calmed state. The remains of the white knight and his horse slowly turned to white dust-like snow. The queen grimaced at what she witnessed. Through all the days Pitch had kept visiting her and kept her company she managed to learn two things about him:

One, he was a great strategist, and no doubt a great warrior because of how he played, unintentionally telling her about himself. The nightmare king, unconscious or not, always made strategies that would involve the king moving, sometimes killing. If he was a plain strategist, he would never have done. It was too risky. But ruler/warriors like the both of them, they would always seek to fight. His reason might be different than hers but one thing was for certain. They would never leave themselves out of the fight, never in a million years.

The second one was that Pitch Black always, ALWAYS, wanted gruesome kills. No wonder he was the 'King of Nightmares', he had one twisted, demented mind. But she didn't mind, it was a part of him anyways. She understood. If he didn't have a demented mind, then she could never believe he was what he says he is. He needed that to do his job, nothing personal about it. So she learned to put up with it. She was even amazed that he still retained some intellectuality in him, some identity, some consciousness. Holding all and different fears, retaining those in his mind, would normally erase all traces of sanity and sense of being. Besides, it was a good change of pace in her long and machine-like life. They would argue their opinions and ideals about a topic, matches of challenging battle of chess and scaring some people from time to time. In short, a worthy adversary that could keep her mind sharp and wit fast.

She could never do those things with her best friend and her father figure. Olaf didn't have a thing for chess, his views, opinions and ideals were too naïve for her that it constantly reminded her of her dead sister which would always cause an unbearable pain in her heart. Grand Pabbie was far too busy to be interrupted with the humans destroying the forest every day and all. He needed all his time to fix the forest. She preferred to stay alone within her castle as much as possible and visiting him required leaving her abode and being poked around by the other trolls of her love life, among other things. She still didn't like being in a crowd and the trolls had the tendencies to be 'in your face'. She didn't hate it, just can't get used to it and would very much love to avoid it unless required.

"Well Elsa." The sound of his voice pulling her back to reality. "Ask. I really want for this game to be a game of wits not by half-baked decisions." Sarcasm intertwined with his voice as he haughtily said it. "It makes victory far sweeter than any wine." His smirk turned into taunting smile.

"Your queen." She said softly like contemplating if it was a trap or not. Eyes trained on the piece in question.

"What of it?"

"It's…. not like the others." The blond queen leaned back in her chair as she wrung her wrist. "Her eyes isn't yellow or glowing. Does this mean you have no control over her?" that surprised him a bit, his eyes widen for a second and then returned to normal as he picked up the piece he made.

"She's my daughter." He said as he affectionately traced a finger on the chess piece's hair.

"Your daughter?"

He nodded lazily as he continued stroking its hair. His features softening as he went on. "She is a grown woman now. She makes her own decisions. Truth be told, I want to consider her decisions as a result of her 'rebellious stage'. That she's still a little girl, but she had already grown so much for me to even entertain the idea."

"And her mother?" He raised his eyes from the piece to his companion. Bitterness started to fill him up, with a frown he placed back the queen on its position and sighed.

"I have no idea of what had become of her." Closing his eyes, he breathed in deeply as he tried to call upon Kozmotis' memory. "I only have fragmented memories. I almost have forgotten that I even had a daughter and what she even looks like until I saw her again." With his head tilted up, he leaned back and welcomed the cold feeling from the Ice chair which seemed to ease something inside him but refused to name any of it. "According to her, her mother fell to her end to stage her death so she could escape."

"Good for her." She said so casually that made him infuriated. "Pawn to b4." The snow wolf started moving to the black square as she instructed.

His brows knitted together in irritation, baring his sharp teeth at her. "And what do you mean by that?" his voice went deeper in anger.

But the queen just shrugged and kept her cool, calm disposition, eyes on the board before her. "She had a beautiful death. Quite dramatic for my taste, but still beautiful. She did not waste her life for nothing, and with her death your daughter's life continued. Now your daughter lives not only for herself, but also for her dead mother. Every decision your daughter would make will be well thought out because its consequences will not only affect her and those around her, but also to those who had sacrificed their lives for her to make her come this far. She would do things in honor of her mother and not do things that she knows would make her mother really disappointed or heartbroken. And in the end, she really, **truly**, fulfilled her role as a mother by protecting her child with her life. That's why there is no need for me to pity you or her. Because I only pity those weaker than me." She gazed at his eyes with a sincere smile on her face that she had never revealed to him before. "Even though I haven't met her and know only from what you told me earlier, both of you don't seem to be weak to me. So I don't really see any reason to pity or sympathize, I only see pride." Her palm cradling her face as she continued. "Besides, she was able to put up with you didn't she. That alone should say something about how strong she really was."

The gray-skinned man stared at her in awe. She really had a deep and complex understanding of things. His respect for her seemed to have increased, recognizing her as commendable opponent. He never was wrong about her, she would make an excellent ally. One that would-

"Che…" his irritation returned tenfold as he sharply snapped his head to the door, eyes burning with hatred and annoyance, all of which did not go unnoticed by the snow bringer. "What do they want now?" he growled with utmost loathing.

"Is something the matter Pitch?" the snow queen inquired a little worried about his reaction. But her question was answered by her snow golem outside.

"Go away!" it roared loudly.

"Intruders." She stated, she was about to stand up but heard Pitch give out a command.

"Pawn to a4." He spat, which made the pale queen sit back down. For the longest she had known him, she began to comprehend some of his…. quirks. This one meant that she should just ignore the ones outside and keep playing, and so she did.

* * *

"Ugh! When does this big lug know when to quit!" Jack Frost screamed at the snow golem they were fighting. It had been a few minutes since they started and North managed to tear off its arm while Sandy managed to sever its right leg. It was lying on its stomach. The winter spirit charged and shot his lightning ice on the giant but it rolled towards his severed arm, dodging the attack. It tried to put its arm back, connecting the sockets back together. But the boy did not give up and shot another one. Unfortunately, his lightning hit the socket and managed to freeze it back together. And with its newly attached arm, it backhanded Tooth. Good thing Tooth's reflexes crossed her arms in front of her face before she was hit. She went to the ground hard, burying her deep in the snow.

"JACK!" Everyone shouted in frustration as they turned on him. He smiled apologetically and shrugged. Their attention snagged back to the monster they were fighting as it roared and tried to smash them with one hand. Everyone managed to get out of the way before they were hit.

"Oi! Careful with the stairs! We need that." Bunnymund jumped high in the air and let his boomerangs fly. One hitting the giant snowman on the joint of the newly attached arm and the other one hit it square in the jaw, dislocating it. It roared in rage and continued its attack. It was kneeling with its remaining leg and leaning its weight on the left arm. Tooth flew on the side of its head and spin drop kick its head so hard, a quarter of its face was gone.

It tried to swat her away but she dodged the humongous hand. The five babytooths buzzed around its head to distract it. It tried to swat them away not spotting that the bearded guardian had position his self on its last attached leg. With one stroke of his sword, the leg was sliced of and the monster let out another roar in pain. And with one flick of the sandman's whip the monster was no more.

Every one of them breathed in labored breaths as they tried to regain their lost strength. But then they remembered that the nightmare king was still inside the ice palace with the snow queen. They pushed forward with their body aching and bruises acting up. They were not wounded, it seemed the giant had no intention of killing them just hurting them and push them away.

They anxiously staggered all the way to the top until they reached the double door with the same snowflake the Man In the Moon had shown them. Thinking the doors would be locked and there would be nightmares to fight, Bunnymund kicked the door open. The loud bang of the door vibrated though out the castle. What they saw was very much unexpected. Each of them had their eyes bulging out in disbelief as they gaped at the two figures in front of them.

"Could all of you be a little bit quieter?" an annoyed voice of a woman spoke out, it sounded like tinkling of little bells.

There in front of them were two beings casually sitting, both facing the crystal-like ice table with what looked like chess pieces on top of a board. The man on the left was very familiar to them, his ash gray skin against his black robe shimmered with the light illuminating the place. The one on the right was a woman with elbows resting at the edge of the table, her back straight in a diagonal way. She looked gorgeous and graceful. The way the lights reflect on her pale white skin and platinum blond hair was breathtaking. Well, that was how Jack Frost would describe her. But one thing seemed very odd.

Both of them were relaxed in their seat and comfortable with each other's presence. This was bad for them, the guardians thought as they continued to stare at the two. She never gave them a sideward glance, seemingly giving more importance to what she and he were doing than them. The guardians felt like they were being ignored. They felt that they weren't even relevant or even a threat for them, that the both of them could take them on no problem because the two of them was still stuck in their game and made no indication to even look at them. The shock, awkwardness and confusion of the situation made them immobile and helpless as they continued to gawk at the pair in front of them.

Minutes passed and a groan of annoyance came from the blond woman's throat. She leaned back on her chair, eyes forcefully closed as she sighed. "I can't concentrate with all these eyes staring at me." She whined. The woman crossed her arms under her chest and huffed some of her irritation out. "I really hate it when people stare at me, it makes me feel like I did something wrong or ridiculous."

"Well, you did something peculiar." Pitch grabbed his remaining bishop and waived it in the air. "You're being awfully welcoming with the most evil being on Earth. The **King **of** Nightmares**! And you even went as far as playing a game of chess with him this very instant. Getting all comfy in **his** presence." He sneered and glanced towards their direction while putting the piece back to where it was supposed to be. He chuckled at them when they suddenly stiffened and went tense, ready to pounce on him with so much as a wrong twitch of his finger.

The woman, whom they presumed by now as the snow queen, turned her head tiredly at them and sighed once more. "Are you coming or going? Because I prefer my doors closed and you're letting the cold out."


	5. Chapter 4: The Two Sides

**~~Chapter 4~~**

"Are you coming or going? Because I prefer my doors closed and besides you're letting the cold out."

Suddenly, the guardians snapped out from their dazed state and walked towards the pair who sat comfortably, the frozen fountain just behind them. With a soft bang, the guardians turned to see that the doors closed on its own. They placed their focus on the snow queen, who apparently turned her head and attention back to her chess match. "Queen takes Pawn on a4." At the command, the ice-snow piece that resembled her sitting on a throne started glided soundlessly across the board on her chair.

Its hand flung outwards and out of nowhere, icicles impaled the black ghost-like creature turning it back to shadow and sand. The piece rested on the spot where the black chess piece stood a while ago. The blond snow bringer turned her head to them again with a gentle yet formal smile. "Welcome to my humble abode. I congratulate you for locating my ice castle, must've been tough for you to find it." She heard her companion scoff after she finished.

She rested one arm on the armrest while the other rested on its elbow and her head leaned on her palm, still smiling. "You must be the famous 'guardians' Pitch talks about, with much vehemence and loathing I might add." She glanced at the aforementioned man and she saw him leaned back with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked really annoyed and itching to fight. She chuckled at his irritation and turned to address the new comers once more.

Her eyes trained at each and every one of them, assessing them carefully. "Hmmm…. Let me guess." Her face turned from right to left as she spoke the names that the humans called them. "You're the Tooth Fairy, Santa. Judging how the light sparkled on you, I'd say your clothes either have glitters or sands so you must be Sandman." She turned to Jack and looked him from head to toe then back up. "Wooden shepherd's staff coated with frost, silver hair and blue hoodie sweater with frosting too. I'd say you're the inexperienced, foolish and annoying winter spirit bastard, Jack Frost." This made the shadow manipulator laugh as he saw the winter spirit whipped his head at him with that accusing and hateful stare directed at him.

The snow caster laughed softly as she watched how the young spirit reacted until she turned to the last one that she stopped. The guardians turned to her, curious why she suddenly stopped laughing. The expression on her face was one of confusion and bizarre. Her soft blue Sapphire eyes twinkled in puzzlement as she continued to take in his features with wide eyes. "Hey Pitch." Turning to her opponent who was now focused on the chess board before him while he held his chin in concentration, she tilted her head at him. "Is there a new holiday that I do not know off that has anything to do with kangaroos?"

The nightmare king suddenly chuckled, then turned into a roar of laughter and held his side while the queen just continued to stare at him waiting for him to stop laughing and answer her question. Then she heard snickering and turned to see that the guardians, with the exception of their furry friend, were trying to hold back their laughter.

"Oi! What did you say mate?!" he stomped one foot forward, his face twisted in annoyance. "I'm a BUNNY! **The** EASTER BUNNY!"

The queen's eyes widened in shock and bewilderment as she continued to stare at him, not sure if he was lying or not. "Oh. I beg your pardon. I didn't mean to insult you." Her tone was sincere and bowed her head slightly "It's just that your ears and your size kind of reminded me of a kangaroo, that is all." Lifting her head, she put down her hand to lay it above the other that was still resting on the armrest. "Anyway, I imagine that you didn't leave your duties and work to just have a little chat with me, did you?"

"No we didn't." Toothiana flew forward and stood dignified before the blond woman. "Snow Queen-"

A pale hand shot up to interrupt the winged being. "Please, call me Elsa."

"What?" a male silk-like voice protested. The snow caster turned to her black-loving companion who was looking at her with accusing gold-silver eyes. "You let them call you by your name without any test whatsoever?"

A confident smile, she answered back just as confident. "Well, I was going to fight them. But you stopped me remember?" her smile turned into a devious grin. "Besides, they were able to beat Marshmallow and kept the stairs in one piece."

He let out a grunt of disapproval as he leaned back and sunk in his seat. "That's too easy. I could've beaten the golem of yours on my own."

"Oh, stop complaining already." She light-heartedly scolded him. "By the looks of it, they didn't enjoy every minute of it." A smug look on her face and a knowing smile on her lips, she said "While you enjoyed every satisfying moment of yours."

That brought a proud and satisfaction-guilty look on his face. He gave off a chuckle and sly grin, he leaned forward with his fingers intertwined cradling his chin and elbows planted on his side of the table. "True."

"Wait! What test?" Jack blurted out.

"Don't you think there's something more important for us to talk about?" the queen bit back.

"I agree." Tooth intervened to avoid angering her which she knew would be very bad for them. She turned to Jack and whispered. "Jack, we're here to befriend her not provoke her to his side." The feathered being turned back to the snow queen and continued. "We were sent here by the Man In the Moon."

"Man In the Moon?" The snow bringer repeated with a tone of intrigue. "Pitch never mentioned him and the 'Man In the Moon' that I know off are from nursery rhymes."

Pitch sneered at the way this conversation was going. "He's real. There's such a thing as 'The Man In the Moon' although he doesn't do much and makes his guardians do all the dirty work for him." He leaned back and stared with burning animosity at the fairy who tried to stand firm but slowly becoming uneasy at the weight of his gaze. "They're here to recruit you. To become ONE OF THE GUARDIANS OF CHILDHOOD!" he threw both his hands in the air.

Elsa closed her eyes and sighed. She gazed at the guardians and to the winged creature. "Is this true?"

"Yes, but-"

"Pitch offered the same one you're giving me once before." Blue eyes looked at her purple ones with such scrutiny that it felt like the queen was digging into her soul. "And I will offer you the same answer I have given him." She stood full of pride and certainty. "I will not be anyone's ally or enemy. I will choose no side but my own. I am satisfied with my neutrality that I see no point in joining forces with anyone." The pale queen raised her chin with regality that no one could deny her royalty. Her voice boomed and echoed throughout the room, the guardians stood silent, and for a second, they almost bowed in respect but they managed to stop themselves from doing so. "And **that** is my final say in this matter. Now-"

All of a sudden the door banged open and noise could be heard on the entrance. "Elsa! Elsa!" something said. Clearly it wasn't someone because every time the figured hopped and waved, its body separated in threes and came back down together. As the figure came closer, the slower it got until it was walking towards the guardians. Speaking of the guardians, they were gawking at the typical snowman made with three balls of snow piled from biggest on the bottom to the smallest on top. It had stick hands and hair with a carrot nose, three black buttons going down its midsection. The only irregular thing from it was that it had a buck tooth made of snow and a cloud snowing down above its head. And the weirdest thing noticeable about it, was that it was walking and talking too. It kinda reminds them of 'Frosty, the Snowman' they hear humans sing.

"Crickey!"

"Blyaha-muha!"

"Flying, white molars!"

"No freaking WAY!"

Sandman just stared at it with his mouth open in disbelief.

They never took their eyes off of it. And **it** never took its eyes off of them, literally. The snowman's head turned 180o just to keep them in its sight. "Olaf!" the snow queen ecstatically called on the snowman.

"Elsa!" the snowman, Olaf, squealed. It turned so that the head was facing the queen while the body was facing them. _Creepy…._ The guardians said in their mind in unison. Then his left twig hand made a gesture that supposed to be covering his mouth to whisper, but with the position of he was in, it just covered the lower back of his head where the mouth was supposed to go. "Hey." The snowman took a quick glance at them and whispered. "Who're the strange, quirky-looking fellas?"

_Look who's talking._ Everyone mumbled to themselves.

Now the Elsa that was in front of them was different from the first one they faced. She was calmer, playful, happier and somehow warmer, somewhat a little bit childish. And her smile, they were genuine and caring smile unlike the formal and cold one she flashed when she greeted them.

She sat back down with a radiant smile on her face, her attention captured by the unusual snowman. "They are the guardians of childhood, if my memory serves me right." She leaned back at her chair and turned to face Pitch and the chess board. "See if you could guess who they are."

"Yippee!" the snowman jumped in joy. "A game! I love games." He chuckled as he lifted his head up and tossed it lightly in the air, turning it to face the amazed and curious guardians. He started off with Toothiana, he looked up and down, taking notes of every distinctive feature he saw. He did the same thing to the others he was done, he took a step back with his twig hand under his chin. "You're a fairy!" he shouted as he pointed at Tooth, his eyes sparkled with delight. "I know! You're the fairy godmother." The snow queen giggled and the nightmare king just smirked. While the guardians, well… they just stood there since they didn't know how to react. "Wait. No… You don't have a magic wand. You're not Tinkerbell either since you're so big. Hmmm…." He did a thinking pose, complete with scrunched up eyebrows. Not a minute later he snapped his fingers and jumped again. "I know! You're the tooth fairy."

Tooth breathed a sigh of relief and smiled nodding her head vigorously before he tried to retract the answer again. He moved on to North, who was eyeing the snow golem with fascination. His mind working as he thought of different kinds of toys and ideas how he could use the golem as a base for new toys. He was so busy thinking about toys that he did not see a flash of recognition within Olaf's eyes. He pointed at the big, hairy, bearded man and shouted "Santa!" then moved on to the next guardian.

He moved on to someone that was almost the same size as him, and that made him excited. "Hello there little guy." He waved at the sandman and he just smiled back. The snowman paused for a second and frowned. Thinking that the little man did not hear him he went closer and shouted at him what he said earlier causing the guardian to cringe and rub his ear. Then above the little man's head pictures made of sand popped up. First was a picture of an ear, then a drum and then the drum explodes.

The snowman hummed and turned to Elsa who chuckled at his antics. Elsa must've felt the confusion on the golem's stare because she turned to him and explained. "He's not deaf, Olaf. He's mute. That means he can hear you but he can't talk because he can't use his voice. He uses those sands to talk by forming pictures of what he wants to say." And then turned back to the chess game which seemed to have faded to the background either because it became awfully hushed or Olaf was just loud and it drowned and blocked the two players out.

"Oh." The snowman turned with his wooden finger on his lower lip. "Sand…" then light sparkled in his eyes like a kid who just discovered a world made of chocolate and sweets. "You're the Sandman." He exclaimed while he pointed at the smallest guardian who nods and an image of two hands giving a 'thumbs up'.

The snow man looked at the blue sweater-wearing boy with great consideration, like he was trying to recall a memory or some kind. But Jack just smiled and greeted the snow creature. The white haired boy squatted down and inspected the little fellow. "Did Elsa make you?" it was obvious of course, but it was the first thing that popped in his mind.

The little snowman enthusiastically answered him. "Yup! My name is Olaf and I like warm hugs." spreading his twig arms like waiting for the winter spirit to hug him.

"Warm hug?" the boy repeated in bewilderment. "Aren't you going to melt?"

"Nope." He said quickly then pointed at the cloud above his head. "Elsa made me my own personal flurry." Then the snow golem tilted his head and looked at him curiously. "Have I seen you before?"

"I don't think so." The guardian of fun shrugged. "I have the same kind of power like Elsa."

Out of the blue, Olaf's eyes flickered in realization. But before Jack could decipher it, it was gone. "You're Jack Frost, the winter spirit." He said with somewhat less energy.

He nodded and quickly asked, "Do you think I could make a snowman like you."

"No." the snow creature answered quicker than anyone would like. But before anyone questioned it, he had moved on to the next guardian. Elsa knew better, her golem was hiding something but she didn't bother trying to make him tell. Olaf has been acting strange, even before she met the guardians or even Pitch. However, she knew the snowman better than anyone. He'll tell her what's wrong if he thought he needs to or thinks it was the right time to say anything. If Olaf wanted to keep something a secret, then she would let him so long as he would let her have hers.

The rabbit and the snowman looked at each other for the longest time. "Make ya' guess mate." He dared as he crossed his arms across his chest while smiling smugly at the guessing golem. Then Olaf hopped on one foot to another and excitedly said. "Kangaroo Jack!"

"That's right I'm-Wait, who?" he did a double take at the happy snowman and was seething in fury. "I am **not** a kangaroo! 'AM A BUNNY!"

But the little guy just sputtered and laughed at him. "You're a bunny. Pfft. Good one. Everyone knows, bunnies are cute and cuddly."

"Wha's tha' suppose to mean?" the rabbit glared and placed his hands (paws?) on his hips, but the snowman paid no attention to him whatsoever.

"Isn't it funny Elsa! He thinks he's a bunny." The golem cackled and giggled. But when he looked up, instead of a laughing Elsa looking back at him, she was just smiling. But this smile said that he was the one who got it wrong. He tilted his head at her.

"Sorry Olaf." The pale queen's eyes twinkled in joy and kindness with a hint of apologetic glint. "He **is** a bunny and he's also the Easter Bunny."

That made the snowman looked at the fuming bunny. But his head was still tilted while he inspected the animal guardian intensely. It looked like he still can't wrap it around his head and was looking for some evidence to prove it. He came closer to the 'bunny' who was very, very tall than him while the guardian looked back at him with curious eyes, anticipating what he will- "GAAAHHHH!" the bunny jumped back a foot from the golem and looked at him with wide, unbelieving and humiliated eyes.

"You **are** a bunny." Olaf said casually like what he did was only natural. He did just pat the bunny's body to check. Well, it wouldn't have been a big deal if it were just little patting but it would **be** a **reeaallllyy** big deal if the location were a little ways down. And Olaf, for the sake of knowing the truth, patted his abdomen and stomach in on one hand and the other went a wee bit over the border that the bunny felt the stick hand brush against his sacred carrot.

"Wha' the bloody hell was tha' for?!" Bunnymund almost launched at the oblivious snowman if the other guardians hadn't grabbed him. Some of them actually, since Jack was already rolling on the floor laughing his heart out with Sandy while he banged the ice floor with his little yellow fist.

"Oh… Sorry." The little golem scratched the back of his head. "I read on the book that female kangaroos have pouches on their bellies."

"And you thought I'm a girl TOO!" he struggled against North's powerful grip even though the bearded man snickered and tried to hold back his laughter so he wouldn't lose strength. While Tooth tried to get the boomerang on both the rabbits hands. "Why I oughta-"

"Well, yeah." The snowman shrugged unaware of how much deep in trouble he already was in and continued to taunt him unknowingly. "You do whine a lot."

"Why you-"

"Woah, hold on now." North tried to calm the pooka. "He's just like kid! He's just blunt."

"I'm going to kill that little bugger."

"It's just that, your ears and size reminded me of a kangaroo. Although I do admit the fur kinda told me rabbit. But then I noticed you've got an Australian accent. And kangaroos do come from Australia right? And besides," he held out his stick arms made sure the gap between them was small. "Aren't bunnies supposed to be yay big?"

Then the Easter bunny stopped struggling and thought for a moment. "Point taken."

"Well, on this planet he is." Pitch drawled out with a taunting grin. "But then, the Man-"

"HOOTHOOOT! HOOTHOOOT!"

Everyone quickly looked up where the sound of an owl seems to be coming from. The blonde queen stood immediately, her chair scrapping the floor. It's sound bouncing off of the walls. Then from the crystal stairs, descended a majestic, snow white owl. It had a flawless grace and agility while gliding towards the queen. It flapped its wings at it landed on the queen's out stretched forearm.

"HOOTHOOOT! HOOTHOOOT!" it repeated as he kept flapping his ice tipped wings. Its talons made of ice like its beak. Its big, round blue eyes reflected the image of its master. The queen turned so that only the back of the owl was showing to the guardians as she gave an order.

"Show me." After almost a minute, the owl flew away hooting as it disappeared up the flight of stairs. "Stupid humans." The queen spat with utmost displeasure. "When will they ever learn?"

"Elsa, what is it?" Olaf inquired but the queen did not bother to answer him and turned to the guardians with icy ferocity. The pale snow bringer returned to her formal cold and unfeeling self as they first interacted with her.

The snow queen bowed her head slightly and said in an apologetic tone. "I beg your pardon, but I must take my leave. There's some business that needs my paramount attention. Olaf will show you out." Then she turned to Pitch who's interest swiftly left the chess board to his opponent. "Forgive me. it seems I would not be able to finish our game. I would have to surrender wouldn't I?"

"Yes." He smirked at her full of sinister glee. "But I would settle for a draw if you allow me to come with." An eyebrow (?) rose in disbelief at the queen as she stood there contemplating, for the second time since they met. When they began on agreeing terms, she would let him join her without even thinking. Was there something she's hiding?

"I will be more 'hands-on' on this one. I can't let you in this."

The nightmare king stood and straightened imaginary creases on his robes as he stood firm. He was someone who wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, especially from her and especially that the guardians had found her. "Would it help my case if I told you I will be only watching?" he said teasingly, forgetting for a moment that they had the guardians for an audience.

The snow queen stopped and smiled back at him with the same mischievousness he saw when they mingled with each other. "Yes, it certainly had." With precise and purposeful stride, she headed to the direction of the door. "We need to hurry before they do something foolish again." With that, the snow queen swished the train of her dress and her whole body turned into floating snow dust. It dashed above the dumbstruck guardians and went straight towards the door that was slammed open by the rushing freezing wind that miraculously appeared outside. The guardians stared at it as it disappeared from their sight and whipped their head towards the malicious dark spirit that chuckled villainously which turned to a maniacal laugh.

"'Till we meet again." He bowed mockingly which sent them on the edge. "Guardians." He spat as he shook his head slightly. The ruler of shadows hastily swung his hand towards him. In a blink of an eye, he became a shadow that looked like black smoke and rushed past them. The feeling of something phasing through you was so intense that the guardians had to cover their faces just to avoid inhaling any of the smoke as they felt like something was pushing them over the edge of dark oblivion.

When they felt like the heavy, suffocating weight faded, they turned and hurried towards the door just in time to see the snow dust and black smoke descend downhill. Both the snow and shadow quickly entered the forest. It was like Pitch had become Elsa's shadow. A black reflection mimicking its white counterpart and constantly by its side as the trees blanketed them from the relentless eyes of the guardians that searched for them from the darkness of the night.

"Did you see where they went?" Toothiana worriedly asked.

"No. They were too fast." Jack responded, still craning his neck for any signs of the two.

A question mark floated above the little man's head.

"I don't know mate." Bunnymund answered back, confused and a little bit bewildered.

"Pitch has gotten stronger." North spoke grimly. "A lot stronger."

"Sandy, can you track them with your sand?" the warrior pooka asked anxiously.

Sandy nodded and was about to do so when North interrupted. "No. It's too dangerous." He looked everyone dead in the eyes as he spoke. "The only reason we only have bruises, right now, is because of snow queen's golem. Remember, Pitch stopped the queen from going at us. If he could've wanted to get rid of us, then he could've let snow queen do that for him. Which I admit, is highly unlikely. But still, he could've forced us out and away anytime he wished. And with the power he had, he had the ability to overcome one of us. Also, Elsa is on no one side. We don't know if she would've helped us or just watched." His voice full of apprehension as he stroked his beard, he sighed in weariness. "Pitch is planning something. He might be waiting for us to attack first so he could make her believe we are enemies, and he is only ally she would have."

"But we can't just stand here knowing Pitch is getting closer to the queen." Bunny interjected.

Jack waved his staff and pointed it to North. "We need to find her." Determination was dancing in his eyes. He wasn't going to let Pitch corrupt Elsa for his own sick and twisted goals. The winter spirit sighed, he just hope that she wasn't too far gone.

Everyone was shocked at how he said it. Jack was deadly serious for the guardian of fun, although everyone ignored it. But try as she might, Toothiana couldn't let it go. It was the first time she saw him like this. She tried to tell herself it was just because Jack had finally met someone like him, both began as a mortal and had the power of winter. It was understandable that Jack would attach himself to with the queen, maybe a sense of kinship. Tooth wrung her wrist. _Maybe. _She told herself, but she could feel the envy starting to crawl under her skin. She knew she had no right so she tried to keep it to herself. Besides, Jack might not like it at all.

As they gave each other ideas Olaf cleared his throat which caught the attention of the five visitors. "Well, you already know where outside is. Obviously." The snowman swung his arms as he slowly steps back. "Well. Bye." Before he could get away Jack had called out his name. Olaf stopped and waited until the winter spirit landed in front of him.

"Do you know where Elsa could be?" Jack kneeled, sounding a little desperate.

"Yeah, why?" The snow golem was startled when he heard the five visitors sighed in chorus.

"Waitwaitwait." Bunny went closer to the snowman. "How could you know?"

"Well, I came from Elsa's power just like that bird." He said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Since we came from the same magic, we could understand each other. I talked to it just a minute ago."

"How?"

"Does it matter?" The white haired boy butted in. "Right now, all that matters is where Elsa is."

"Well then, let's go." The snowman began marching towards the forest.

Unexpectedly, Olaf couldn't feel the ground beneath, he gasped in surprise and turned to see that the sandman had grabbed him and was now flying on a golden cloud with him. The golem turned to see the Easter Bunny hoping incredibly fast, almost catching up on them and behind him was both the Tooth Fairy and the Winter Spirit carrying the big round Santa Claus.

"Gee, North." Jack grunted as he tried to glide and stay afloat with the fat, rotund man. "I think you better should start to lay off the cookies and eggnogs."

"Hey. I'm not that heavy."

"Says your twelve reindeers." Tooth groaned as she beat her wings faster and harder just to keep the man in the air.

"Oh yeah." The snowman called out. "We should keep it as quiet as possible, or–"

Before the he could finish he was whipped with a branch on the head. It flew screaming to Bunnymund's hands. "Oh, hello Bugs Bunny."

"Don't call me that!"

"Why not? Both of you are pretty popular."

"He's a cartoon, a fictional character!"

"And you're not?"

"Of course! I am very much real!"

"Bunny!" North yelled and took both the rabbit's and the snowman head's attention. "Stealth mode." and made a hushing gesture.

The bunny growled at the head, he was goose bumps and preferred the queasy feeling of having to carry someone's talking head. He would rather do this than to let the Russian, eggnog-loving fatso how uncomfortable it is because he knew he would never hear the end of it.


	6. Chapter 5: Warnings Aren't Just For Play

**A/N: God this is long, 5000+ words. I think I'm loosing my touch on suspense and horror. It's really hard especially without the use of gore. Anyone knows a scary book without gore?** **Next chap is on the way that was supposed to be a part of this chap.**

* * *

**~~Chapter 5~~**

The guardians landed and hid behind a bush. They had put the Olaf back together on their way there. Peering through the bush they saw the snow queen ducking down behind a tree near a beaten path that looked abandoned and unused.

"What's she doing?" Bunnymund asked to no one in particular.

"Waiting for the humans." A low, bone-chilling voice answered behind them.

They whipped their head back to see the nightmare king brooding over them with an ominous grin. Before they could hurtle at him, their own shadows rose from the ground and grabbed them, preventing any movement.

"What the-" Not another word passed Jack's lips after another hand sprouted from his shadow and covered his mouth. He looked at the others and saw the same thing had happened to the others except for the snowman. Harsh and cold fingers dug on his jaw, bruising his pale flesh, turning him to stare at the menacing and pitiless golden eyes with slivers of silver.

"Ssshhhh…" he hushed softly but the threat was still there as he made a hushing gesture, "you're going to ruin the show." The winter spirit tried to charge at him but his shadow pulled him back. The dark spirit hummed in mockery as he gave the guardians a wicked smile while looking down at them, the shadows pulling them down on their knees. With a chuckle he turned to watch the queen still hiding behind the tree. The path ended with a wall of trees, large boulders were scattered and could be used to hide himself so he could watch her work closer. But alas, the guardians arrived to meddle with the show so he had to watch at where he stood. Although he was a few meters away from the path, still, nothing could beat a front row seat.

The guardians still struggled to get free and this time, it was Olaf who shushed them. "Don't worry, Elsa's done this a hundreds of times. Everything's going to be fine." He reassured them and went to stand beside the shadow manipulator. The snowman glanced back at them and tugged at the gray man's black robe until he turned to look at him. "Pitch, is it really necessary?" This time both of them glanced back at the captive guardians who glared back at the nightmare king specifically.

"Believe me," the black clad spirit patted the snowman's head, reassuring him "it **is**." Out of the blue, they heard footsteps coming from the path towards where the queen was hiding. With the smirk still on his lips, he placed his hands behind him. "The show's about to start." Blazing yellow eyes focused at the snow bringer's figure. " Let's see what you can do, Snow Queen."

* * *

"Please sir. Let's go back. We're not welcome here." one of the woodcutters chirped like a recorded message at his big-city foreman.

"Shut it! Show some back bone, you lily-livered cowards." Jerry growled at him. It was one of the reasons he hate the locals here. They were very superstitious people that rather live in the dump than to anger some spirit, ghost or whatever shit they believed in in this town. All he cared was a promotion so he could stop dealing with mess like these. He figured if he could turn this place into a gold mine, then he'll get noticed and promoted. He'll have a big, fat salary that he could spend on some hookers, an air conditioned office and maybe a nice condo or house in the city.

"It is not wise to test her. The snow queen-" the woodcutter still persisted.

He glanced at the grown man behind him. This man, Jeremiah, was it? Or was it James? Ehhh… who cares who the hell he was, certainly not him. See, this man had a beard, a fucking beard, and he still believes in fairies and pixies and stuff. I mean, c'mon. Seriously? He's got bulked up muscles that only hard labors can give. Believe him, he knows what's he talking about. He's been working out for years for his abs and still no improvement.

"Snow queen, schomow kin. You still believe in those fairy tale shit." He grunted in irritation. "C'mon, you're an adult. The lots of you, so start acting like one." Jeez, it was all they ever talked to him about. About a snow queen getting angry and punishing them because he was breaking some pact of some kind. If he remembered correctly, it was about not cutting any trees until the plant that they planted to replace the trees they cut have grown into saplings. And there was bunch of other chicken shit rules the fucking treaty demanded that he didn't give a damn about.

"Yeah, what she gonna do? Freeze our dicks. Hahahaha!" this time, it was one of the mercenaries he hired from the city. It was just in case any one of those rebels or terrorist, or even wild animals, come out and attack them while they were working.

"I heard she's a hot chick." The merc with an eye-patch said. He had this crazy look in him that says he'll shoot you if he catches you looking at him funny.

"Maybe she's just cranky because she hadn't had a good fucking to warm her up real good." Another yelled as he laughed and humped his ussi.

"Hold your tongues young men." One of the oldest of the workers scolded them, looking left to right nervously like he was checking for anyone before he masturbates. "Don't you dare disrespect her! You'll bring her anger upon us further."

"Oh yeah-"

"Shut it." Ugh… these people were giving him brain drilling headaches. The brunette looked up ahead to see vast trees acting up as a wall. _Ugh… fuck. More trees. Here on your left side are trees, on you right are more trees and in front of you, **more fucking trees with big ass boulders on the side!**_ He irritably ranted in his mind. "We're here."

"Please sir." Another one desperately begs him, "You are breaking the treaty."

"Awww, c'mon. This shit again? Will you quit it? There is no such thing as snow queen, hob-goblins and other magical nonsense crap. It's the twenty-first century. This 'snow queen' is just probably another one of those tree-huggin' hippies that's doing these things and all of you are too gullible to fall for it. It's probably just ice and fog machine that makes it snow." He made a quoting gesture at the word snow queen to further mock the simpletons.

"But sir-"

"Do you **want** to get fired?"

"No, but-"

"Then shut the hell up. Besides, we already got precautionary measures of our own." Jutting his head cockily at the mercenaries he hired and bunch of guns they carried. "C'mon let's go. We need this done pronto. You two, get that bulldozer moving, we need to get these trees outta here by 2, if we don't want to get caught." Out of the blue, the air became much more chilly and a thin fog had started slithering its way to them from the woods, hovering an inch above the ground.

"Snow Queen." A worker whispered, wearing a terrified expression on his face as he wrung the wooden handle of the ax he carried with him.

"Quiet." He barked at the worker. Slowly he steps forward, looking for machines that he suspected was hidden in the dense forest.

The foreman knew something was up, he felt it in his gut. But to think that he was starting to believe a childish nonsense was utter bullshit. _Jesus, these people must be very rich and very, very bored._ _I mean, wasting their money on all these ice and fog machines just to keep people believing in supernatural shit. _He scoffed at himself as he continued to convince himself with facts he knew. And for a while, it worked. That is, until he made the biggest mistake he could have ever done in his life.

Walking haughtily up front, he started yelling. "Hey, snow bitch. Why don't you just show yourself and get this over with, huh? We're just wasting time here, **you're** wasting **my** time. So why don't you just come here and do what you gotta do and then get the hell outta here. We've got a schedule to keep, if you don't mind. Or are you low on budget and this all you could do for us today. Hahahaha…." The other mercenaries laughed with him. Nonetheless, they were fully alert for any movement. After waiting for what seemed to be an hour, nothing happened the boss started barking orders to his workers. "See, there's no such thing as snow queen. It's just garbage wrapped in tin foil." He laughed and continued to taunt this folk lore geek, cosplayer nerds or whatever you call 'em that seemed to 'haunt' these forests. "Hey, snooowww biiiitttcchhh…. Come out, come out where ever you are." He laughed and laughed until something unexpected happened, he could see his own breath.

"Hey boss." One of the mercenaries called. He turned to see the eye-patched guy pointing his gun up the sky. The foreman followed where he pointed at to see that snow was starting to fall. He could see the leaves of the trees frosting up, the temperature had drop abnormally fast. Winds start to swirl around them in a big circle, faster and faster.

"The snow queen, she's here." Local woodcutters start murmuring and backing away. Fear slowly starts to manifest on the foreman and his mercenaries but they kept on a brave face. When the murmuring died, the tanned foreman and his mercenaries took a glimpse behind to see that the woodcutters were kneeling with their foreheads almost touching the ground. Patches of snow had already formed on the soil around them

"Show yourself you fucking slut and fight."

Slowly, out of one of the sidewall of the trees, a lone female figure came out of the woods wearing blue shimmering evening gown with a see-through train flowing down her back. What surprised them the most was that she was wearing a wolf mask. Its snout and face made of blue ice. The wolf mask's teeth were also made of ice with its fangs jutting down. It had no lower jaw and showed half of her face, revealing light pink lips and pinkish cheeks. Her eyes were cold and piercing pale blue showed through the holes where the wolf's eyes should be. Pure white fur draped over her head covering her hair. She stood proudly before them silently, but her eyes meant threat and ordered them to leave.

"So, you're the snow queen these folks are talking about." Gesturing to the kneeling woodcutters. "What a bunch of bull. Tell you what, get the hell out of my sight or get dragged out of here, bleeding or not, frankly I don't give a fuck." Two men moved forward with large tanks on their backs and each had large hose pointed at the silent lady. "Since you call yourself the **snow queen**, here something might scare yam'. These here are flamethrowers, if you don't want to get fried or melt into a puddle, you better beat it whore."

But the girl did not budge, not even an inch, nor did she even flinch in fright.

"Alright then, you asked for it."

He signaled the two men to fire at her. Red, hot streaks of fire whizzed out of the mouth of the hoses and approached the woman in a matter of seconds.

"Holy shit!" A meter away from her mask, and the fire had become ice. It crawled from the tip towards the mouth of the hose. Suddenly they could feel the tank become unbearably cold. The two looked at each other with baffled, disbelieving eyes and gasped as they saw that both their tanks were heavily frosted and was now being covered in ice. They looked at their hands which were starting to numb even though they were wearing thick gloves just to see that ice were coming out of the nozzle until the fire had turned into a rough, jagged line of ice. The cold metal was beginning to burn their clothed back which sent them into panic that they hastily unstrapped the tank of frozen gasoline and dropped it onto the ground unceremoniously. It clanked and clattered went it had hit the ground, the frozen fire shattered into tiny shards of icicles.

The uneasiness they all felt doubled over, but they weren't about to turn tail, not yet. The boss started to shake slightly, the flamethrowers were only supposed to scare her away. He was so sure it would work, but now he wasn't even sure if what was happening was real. "S-sh-shoot her!" he yelled at his lackeys while he brought out his pistol. "What the fuck are you standing there for, shoot her." It nudged them out of their trance and started sprinting forward beside him, creating a human barrier. They pointed their guns at her yet she stood unfazed with their weapons aimed at her. Bullet after bullet flew from the burning nozzle of the human guns. The empty shells clanged on the ground as they poured countless bullets at the mysterious woman. Nonetheless, the woman survived the assault. Her dress was still pristine as ever, her mask undamaged and no sign that the bullets even met their mark. The intruders finally stopped when they saw that whatever they were doing did not have the effect they desired. They examined their work and saw none of the bullets even passed through her. The woman tipped her head towards the dirt-filled ground and saw all of the bullets they fired lay still on the floor covered in thick snow. It seemed that the snow that encased the bullets were too heavy for it to carry across to the target, and with the help of gravity, it fell on the ground before it even reached the woman in blue.

"By god…" one of them gasped. Now they were all shaking. This wasn't normal, **she **wasn't normal at all. Fear had effectively been instilled into their hearts. The heartless mercenaries who had fought countless wars and saw hell with their own eyes were shivering in fright, their knees were turning into jelly as sweat dripped down their faces. But they did not run. They have felt fear in the face death on numerous occasions that they became familiar to it and learned how to hold it back. If ranged weapons weren't gonna do shit, then they would resort to melee and if that fails, they could just blow up the damn place with the bitch. They were war-grown mercs, they would never back down from an enemy, magic or not. One by one they pulled out their machete, some pulled out knives while some pulled up daggers. Every one of them were armed, every one of them were ready to attack.

The woman watched them with baffled eyes. It looked like she was expecting them to retreat, the experienced fighters smirked, glad that not everything went according to plan. If this was just an ordinary woman playing games, then she would have been the one to retreat especially now that things didn't go the way she had hoped. No matter how powerful she was, she must know the odds were against her. Twenty-three outnumbers one any time of any day. It was what was going through their heads. Unfortunately, they forgot about a war where 300 bested an army of a thousand soldiers.

Seeing that they were going to stay and fight the woman sighed. Lifting up her hands toward her chest, with one swift outwards motion, white dust was swirling behind her. It resembled a very thick fog, out of it came deep, ferocious growls. They could hear twigs snapping and small stones crackle as pairs of glowing blue eyes appeared one by one. Slowly, a white, furry paw appeared followed by a long, white snout that growled at them, its body emerging from the fog behind the quiet woman, and then it was followed by another. They could clearly see what they were. Wolves. But not just any wolves, they were wolves with the purest white fur they have ever seen. It snarled at them showing off their sharp teeth, it was at that moment when they knew these weren't ordinary wolves. Their teeth, they were not white, nor yellow, they were blue. And it wasn't made of bones, it was made of ice. It was like that of the woman's mask. Out of their mouth came ice cold mist with eyes flaring as blue as their teeth. They could not see anything, it had no emotion, any spark of life, instead they saw their own terrified faces staring back at them. Out of the fog, ten snow wolves were now standing in front of the woman. They crouched down as they barked savagely at their enemy, ready to pounce at them at her command and the fog still swirled behind the queen.

A few tensing moments passed between the two sides. With a battle cry, the mercenaries lunged forward and the wolves stampeded towards the charging enemy.

The wolves sprang up to their opponents, aiming for either the neck or the face, clawing at any part of the enemies' body they could get their ice claws could. The wounds that the wolves made burned into the humans' flesh. They could feel thousands of needles prickling their injuries, like tiny insects eating their way into their body through the wound. But their bite was even worse. Their teeth was as hard as steel, their breath could freeze their flesh in seconds, and as their teeth sunk into them, they could feel their own blood turn into solid ice.

While the humans did not falter and fought with all their might; slashing their way through the wolves. They still outnumbered the wolves so they were confident of the outcome. The wolves proved to be a challenge as it felt no pain but they could feel that they were winning. The number of the wolves dwindled. Unluckily for them, they angered the snow queen. They weren't even finished with the first batch, another had come out of the fog.

* * *

Pitch just stood and watched the show with demonic glee. He could feel their fear piling up, their sanity breaking down and their hope build up and shattering into a million pieces. It was the sweetest torture anyone could have bestowed to anyone. Letting them the upper hand, letting them think that victory was within reach, building their spirits and then giving them a devastating blow, showing that she was just toying with them. That the battle was won before it had even began. Flaunting at her victims that victory was always at her side from the beginning.

As the third set of snow wolves dashing towards their queen's enemy, he could smell the humans' desperation. He could taste the succulent flavor of terror and defeat that lay thick in the air with a tang of sweet coppery scent of blood making his eyes flutter shut. The harmony of hearts beating and sound of terrified screams synchronizing into one beautiful orchestra had left him beyond bliss. The power pulsed inside him as the fourth batch of wolves was summoned onto the battlefield. It resonated into his very being, leaning his head back in ecstasy. A moan escaped him as he drowned from the fear that humans were producing, absorbing every bit of it in a rush that he had to hold one side of his face to balance himself and to not lose his head as he felt light headed with each passing second. He was so lost in it that he forgot how to control his powers, unconsciously summoning massive waves of shadows to his side.

And it also distorted the shadows that held the guardians captive. They have become more animate, more monstrous in feature and since it was purely made of shadows, Sandy could not alter it. They could feel the dark, sharp, phantom fingers digging on their muscles. They could hear their own voices from coming from the shadows mouth. They could hear their own voices laughing cruelly at the suffering humans. The guardians started struggling again, their muffled screams drowned by the shrieks of pain from the humans. Their shadows were not happy with the resistance they gave, another hand grew from them and rested one of its pointed claws on their necks as they chuckled darkly. They could feel the razor-sharp edge slowly being thrust against their neck.

The black, clad man could only marvel at the queen's abilities as he continued to watch. He could now harvest so much fear because of her, fueling him to exist further. He could hear their screeches of agony; smell their tears of regret, sweat of anxiety and….. *sniff, sniff* piss. Laughter bubbled up out of him as he fanned the unpleasant smell away. "*Ooofff* Someone in there must be really be scared to piss all over himself." Then he finally was aware of his surroundings, seeing that a large amount of shadows were lapping at his feet he turned to see that his shadows were running amok. "Oh how clumsy of me. How could I've forgotten about you?" Sarcasm and disdain were evident in his voice. With a flick of his wrist the shadows calmed down and the excessive shadows fused back into him.

* * *

The eye-patched mercenary had a wolf lunged at him, instead of flesh, it had sunk its teeth on the metal body of his gun. Cursing over and over again, they wrestled on the ground with the man below. The wolf thrashed its head trying to take the gun away from him but he had a powerful grip on it, pushing the wolf off of him, teeth aching from being clamped for too long. The wolf had become agitated and sunk his teeth deeper, tearing off a piece of the gun. An eye wide in disbelief as he felt his tongue felt numb.

Another one crawled on frantically his belly as he raced for one of the fallen daggers, color had already been drained from his face as it continued to snow. Pain suddenly shot from both his calves as it was pierced by something that made him cry out in anguish. He peeped behind him just to see two growling wolves at him. They started to drag him as he hysterically clawed the dirt for the knife.

A ginger haired mercenary continued to stand and fight, hacking and kicking the wolves that kept attacking towards him. Hack, kick, slash. Hack, kick, slash. It was the rhythm he fell into, his body running on pure adrenaline, movements dictated by the body as his mind were in shambles. It appears that the wolves had their own consciousness at it realized his rhythm. Raising his machete to hack at the incoming wolves, two behind him chomped his legs taking his attention and making lose his footing. He howled in pain as two more wolves aimed both his arm. The cold teeth of the wolves stung his tender wounds as blood oozed out of the openings. It was unbearable that he fell to his knees and let his grip on his blade fall. Another came out and grazed his face with it sharp claws. He started to shiver, not from fright but from the cold. His vision began to blur, the thought of death made an image of his daughter flashed in his last moments. Her bright green eyes looking at him happily, holding the stuffed dog he and his wife made for her. Her voice sweet, angelic voice rang in his ear, making him promise not to leave her alone, to not go where her mother went. He could hear himself promise, hugging her tightly, remembering how small and fragile she was and the warmth he felt in her embrace. A lone tear made its way out, he uttered words of regret, the only thing he felt, as he lay there buried in fur.

* * *

One mighty downward slash of his machete, a snow wolf was sliced in half. The back of his throat had become dry and itchy from his ragged breathing, coughing once in a while. From experience, Kyle knew catching your breath in the heat of battle was a bad idea but he could no longer force his exhausted body to move. His strength was leaving him bit by bit, and before he could put up a stance, another wolf had lunged at him pinning him down. His body lay flat on the ground with a loud thud, losing his grip on his weapon in an attempt to keep his throat out of the wolf's reach. It tried to wriggle out of his beefy grasp, constantly trying to get a bite at his neck or his face. Every time it would come in close, he'd turn his head as far as possible. His feet kicked and dug his heels in the soil as he continued to grapple the beast. Its clear sharp teeth reflecting his terrified image, its cold breath fanning his face as it snarled and braked. Claws of ice dug in his chest and stomach deeper.

Eyes dilated in frenzy as each snap of its mouth came closer and closer. He dreaded this day, the day he would die. And now that it came, all he would see was blue teeth gleaming with promise of death and ferocious unnatural eyes that showed him what he looked like before he died, a souvenir in the afterlife. He was so terrified that he lost control of his bladder. As he continued to stare at those ruthless eternal blue eyes, he remembered his mother's own cerulean blue ones. It was full of warmth and love, through thick or thin it was those two emotions that were always there in her eyes.

He recalled when his father left him, he cried endlessly. He blamed her for everything, his bad luck, his father leaving them, him being forced to join the mercenaries to keep the food on their plate when she had grown too old and too frail to work, her being ill, the list went on and on. He saw her as weak, she let the other woman get his father, let them be happy while they lived miserably, she let others trample on her, abuse her. He hated her with every fiber of his being, he shouted at her, cursed her in front of her and on other people, belittled her, called her useless. Yet, through all the things he had done to her, she was constantly there by his side, the way she looked at him never changed. The gentleness, the warmth, the love, it was all there. It was still there though out the years of misery and suffering. No matter how he treated her, she would always be there, to care for him if he was sick, to mend his wounds and to assure him that she still loves him.

He hated her, but he loathed himself even more.

He would beat himself for how he treated her. He had taken her for granted.

He started to sob, his chest tightened at the memories.

He cursed how it felt to be helpless when his father left him. The sorrow it brought to his mother and how she had to be strong for the both of them. He wanted to share her load but she selfishly took everything on her shoulders. He hated her for scolding him for working to help earn money, but he loathed himself for getting caught. He thought that she was better off without him, so he took on the life of a mercenary against her wishes. It gave them decent food and home, yet she didn't want any of it. She only wanted her son to be home and safe. To all the things he could have given her, she refused every bit of it. He hated how simplistic she was, but he loathed himself for not trying to understand. Even though they had enough money, she would still work, trying to earn more so her son could quit his job and stay home with her. He would scream at her that she was useless and should just stay home, but she was stubborn and would not listen.

He imagined her wrinkled face, crying on his lifeless, torn body, blaming herself for everything, that he was right and it was all her fault, that this wouldn't have happened if she was stronger, more useful.

Tears rushed down his face, there were so much he wanted to say. How he loved her. How grateful that she was his mother. How he only wanted to let her have the good life she so deserved.

He hated her for taking the entire burden and suffering in silence.

As regret filled his heart, he admitted he loathed himself for not showing how important she was to him.

He pictured his mother crying, he reached out and embraced her tightly not wanting to let go. Sure of his demise, he whispered the words he ever so wanted to say to her in person. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He choked out as he prepared himself for the cold hand of death. "Please forgive me." Closing his eye, he let go of the wolf waiting its teeth to sink on his neck.

There was nothing. No pain, no blood and not even any movement. He cautiously cracked an eye and saw the wolf above him, staring back at him. It stood there, expecting him to do something.

"Psst…" He blinked and looked up, it was one of the woodcutters that were kneeling a few meters away from him.

"Kneel." He commanded. Without hesitation he scrambled to his knees, the wolf went off of him and watched him bow his head. The smell of the ground, drenched in his own urine, jabbed at his nostrils but if it meant to that he could see his mother again, then he would even gladly lick it if he had to.

Now that he was out of trouble, he guessed, he could clearly hear his comrades voices. They all went through a lot together, even though he was disgusted about some of them, he couldn't just let them die. So he shouted for them to beg for forgiveness, to apologize. Seeing that they didn't have any much of a choice in the matter, they did. Every wolf stopped and backed off, some still snarled at them while some were quiet but alert. Next he instructed them to kneel, and they all did despite of their wounds.

* * *

The sound of her crystal heels clicking on the ground echoed through the place. And it stopped in front of Jerry, the foreman. He was trembling, scared out of his wit as he felt his wounds ached against the cold gust of the wind. Something had put something firm and cold on his back and was pulling at his collar roughly. With no strength left, he let himself be pulled. He sat back on his heels as he looked up. The snow queen was towering him, her eyes were vicious and cold that the hair at the back of his neck stood up.

"Monster." The scared-shitless man muttered under his breath.

Worst move ever…


	7. Chapter 7: Bipolar Queen

**A/N: Sorry about the long update. I tried make it faster but school got in the way again and February has been brutal to me with the exams. I still hope everyone enjoys.**

**~~Chapter 6~~**

"Monster."

He was just scared; he was just so scared that he let the word slip. It was too late to take it back. A cold, murderous smile was drawn on her white porcelain face, its presence made him gulped loudly. He shook in horror as he watched the queen raise her arms and flung them behind her causing another swirl of white dust to come out of nowhere. As he stared in fright at the swirling white dust, two sets of bigger and brighter eyes stared back at him. Instead of wolves, two gigantic snow golems appeared with thick, pointed fingers and hands made of ice, like its jagged sharp teeth, arms and legs. It roared behind her sending snowflakes in a savage torrent, the snow queen's train quivered at the intensity of the wind. The queen raised a pointed finger on something behind him and the golems swiftly obeyed and went. She turned to him and he shrank back, dreading whatever she planned to do with him. She had grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked it. He howled at her, feeling the hair being pulled out of his scalp. She turned him so that he faced the other side, where the golems went.

The two giants stood by the bulldozer; they nodded and turned to the machine the humans brought. With one swipe of its claw the front and back mirror shattered and the driver's seat were in splinters. The other one descended its claw on the hood, with one effortless pull, ripped out its engine.

After the machine was beaten and torn apart, she let him go wailing, not from the destruction of his precious, company-owned bulldozer, nor to the fact that he would be fired as soon as he reports in. Because, let's face it, who's going to believe a crack up story of magical lady that could summon wolves and giant monsters made of ice and snow. It was due to the possibility that the snow queen might change her mind and have him torn apart just like the bulldozer if he did another slip up in her presence.

She approached the man Jerry called Jeremiah, and him noticing how the temperature around him dropped even lower, lifted his head to see her calm and unnerving eyes. She lifted a pointing finger towards the way back to town. He nodded ad stood, giving orders to his fellow woodcutters.

They scrambled to their feet to assist the injured, rushing past the queen who stared forward. They seemed to know what they were to do, moving almost in a choreographed manner. While everyone scattered to help the injured city folks, the wolves started to do their own routine. Quietly, a portion of the wolves that survived the onslaught picked up the nearest weapons to them. Like a rush of raging wind, they were gone and reappear empty handed as fast as they disappeared, picking up again another instrument of war before they vanish again. This went on until every piece, every metal weapons and arsenal were gone.

Burt was getting too old for this. He was sick and tired of keeping these know-it-all outsiders away from the snow queen and trying to keep them from getting themselves killed. Still, even though they kept trying to warn them (and God knows how hard and how much they tried), they seem to find it entertaining to beat the hornets' nest until the whole hive was out and stinging them on the face.

He sighed as he crouched down beside another idiot that thought they were stupid for believing in magical creatures. Looking closely at the four deep gashes on the man's face, he noticed that this one was missing an eye. The skin around it were singed and charred, a little ways beside him was an eye patch. This was the same man that foul mouthed the queen. All he could do was shake his head, karma was a boomerang that goes back at you tenfold. As the 45 year old man's hand hovered over the mercenary's neck he heard a vicious snarl. He looked up and saw one of the queen's wolves warning him to back off. He grimaced as he held both of his hands up in surrender, walking backwards on his knees. The wolf stopped, biting the man on the ground by the wrist and running off to somewhere else, dragging the body in the process.

The old woodcutter took a deep breath, filling his worn out lungs with the pine-scented minty air that surrounded them mixed with a whiff of medical alcohol, a dash of coppery blood and the strong and undeniable smell of death. Taking a moment, he scanned the scene around him. The group of wolves that wasn't picking guns or knives was dragging bodies into the forest. They knew what it meant.

Dead.

The bodies that the wolves hauled were corpses, dead from blood loss, these were the thoughts on his mind that was until he saw a body. He gasped and called out to their appointed leader. "Jerome!" He rushed to the body that seemed to be breathing shallow breaths. He was already bandaged up with light blue bandages, but the blood seeped out of their confines. Ginger hair sticking out of the bandage on his head as he groaned, under him blood had mated with snow.

The man called Jerome, the one Jerry called Jeremiah, sprinted to his fellow woodcutter's side, kneeling at the other side of the unmoving body and inspected the wounded soldier of fortune beside of him. They faced each other and nodded in silent understanding before Burt took out a thick, big, brown blanket. As he was putting the injured fellow on it, he noticed that Jerome was frozen stuck. He looked up to him to see him shivering, eyes wide as plates as his mouth opened and close, debating between screaming or not. A sweat dripped from his face even though it was still very abnormally chilly, petrified of what he saw behind the old man. Going with his better judgment, he did not try to look behind him and decided to pull his friend out of this trance.

He called out his name and tugged at his pants, effectively shoving him out of the hypnosis he was in. "Are you okay?" the old man asked worriedly, still commanding himself from turning his head to whatever his friend was just staring at.

Jerome nodded, not trusting his own voice after what he saw: beady, glowing eyes and sinister, smile showing off its sharp, white teeth that seemed to glow in the dark. He turned and helped his old friend to put the injured man on the blanket, telling himself not to look on that specific area again.

Burt immediately, dragged the mercenary behind him as he swiftly trekked the forest path to town. Once every injured person was bandaged up, the woodcutters hastily assisted them out of the forest. The snow queen watched as every injured person limped hurriedly away from that place, the remaining mercenaries were staring on the ground with big and tear-filled eyes as they passed her by. Not one of them had the courage to look her in the eye.

She flung her hand in a dismissive gesture and the snow giants bowed and carried the beaten and torn remains of the machine somewhere deeper in the forest, away from eyes of civilization. The white queen continued to watch the figures of the humans fade from her line of vision and sighed under her breath, hoping this wouldn't happen again, yet it always does. She felt the heavy weight of someone's stare on her, curious she turned and to her surprise it was a child, a boy to be exact. He looked at her with wide, scared eyes, but it didn't contain only that emotion. She could see it clearly like looking through a kaleidoscope. It had curiosity, amazement, nervousness and sense of familiarity. She approached slowly, as not to frighten him, giving him one of her gentle, motherly and comforting smile at him and bit by bit reaching a hand to him.

"Tom!" a deep, worry-filled voice shouted behind her. Whipping her head to the owner of the voice, she realized it was Jerome. She looked back at the child that stood there silently, still looking at her expectantly. The wolf-masked woman gave him a sad smile and turned to the leader of the woodcutters, cautiously backing away from the child so that it could run straight to his father. Yet the child still stood there. She tipped her head to the man that arrived and the child timidly walked to his father. Tom kept staring at the mysterious lady as he passed her by. The queen did the same: her pale blue eyes never left the child's warm brown ones. Ones the child was in his father's arms, she broke eye contact with him and gazed at the child's father who was shaking like a leaf, his arms protectively around his son, holding him tightly. She bowed slightly and turned her back at them. Taking it as his dismissal, the woodcutter gave a hurried bow and ran with his child in his arms, trying to catch up with the others. She faced the place where the fight took place and let loose another sigh.

Then a sense of emptiness took over that place, not a single cricket chirped into the stillness of the night. The strange and eerie silence seemed to calm the white queen.

The sound of clapping hands echoed crisply, shattering the silence that seemed to have thickened very quickly. A man dressed in black came out of the shadows followed by throaty laugh. "That was quite a show, I must say." The nightmare king strode to where she was, her little golem waddled to stand next to her his lip in a curve of a small smile glad that his creator wasn't hurt. "Quite a show indeed." smirking proudly as if a mentor showing off his most favorite student. Out of the bush came forth the guardians who seemed to have been ignored yet again. But this time, they will not wait to be acknowledged and stomped their way to the snow queen who had a puzzled look on her face like she had done nothing questionable.

"How could you hurt so many people? And some of them are dead." Distraught was abundant in North's voice, taking his place in front of the queen with the others, as he stared at the blood spatters. "Why would you-"

"Take their precious life?" She finished for him in a calm but cold tone. "If they really have valued their own lives, then they should have turned tail and ran in the first place instead of attacking me."

The queen moved closer to the battleground, passing through the clearly disturbed audience of hers. Snow had stopped falling as she surveyed the area. Thick layers of freshly fallen snow coated the fertilized soil, parts of it drenched in crimson blood. The broken pieces of the frozen flame lying pathetically beside the imprint of the flame thrower. Splaying her fingers downward, the wind suddenly picked up speed. As she lifted her open hand, snowflakes rose from the ground higher and higher. And bit by bit, the bloodstained snow and frozen flame along with the queen's mask that the queen wore dissolved and piled up above them, creating a large snowflake in the sky. Pitch recognized it as the snowflake he saw the first time the black king and the white queen met, while the guardians identified it as the snowflake the Man in the Moon showed them.

Pale white hands twirled guiding the wind to break it down, long, slender fingers moved as if weaving silk white threads so finely spun that seemed invisible to the naked eye, at least to human eyes. But for those that bore magic, they could see it dance at her fingertips into a ball of gushing wind and dust-like snow. She closed both her hands into fists and set them side by side, her fingers opened like a blooming flower. On the sky, the shifting ball of wind sped up. On both side, covered with frost and tiny snowflakes that piled on top of each other creating a rough shape of wings suddenly popped up.

At a snail's pace, she separated her hands that her palms showed but kept them connected with her thumbs overlapping the other similar to the position of the hands when creating a bird in a shadow play. Carefully moving her fingers up and down, her fingers replicating the way birds flap their wings. A puppet following the will of the puppeteer, it imitated her fingers. With one powerful beat of it its elegant wings, it soared out of its white cocoon. First a sharp crystal blue beak pierced the ball of dusty white, and then its head appeared. Eyes as blue as the ocean outlined by crimson lids, atop its head blazing sky blue flame with streaks of red waved, curling and bending gracefully against the racing winds as it lifted its whole body out of its prison. Feathers of light cobalt blue fading to white covered its body. The tail, same as the one on top of its head, trailed behind it as it did a circle in the air towards its creator. The light it emitted was of whitish-blue, spreading towards the dark star speckled evening blanket that sheltered the world.

It gave off a sound like a soft, inviting whistle and landed its crystal blue talons on the outstretched arm of the snow bringer. It extended its fire tipped wings as it dipped its head in a bow and then folding its wings neatly on its side as it stood proudly with chest puffed out and looked intently at the blonde queen. "You know what to do." She whispered softly, giving her arms where it was perched a nudge it took off and flew off, the winged creature's form contrasting against the dim sky.

"What was it? And what was it for?" Bunnymund interrogated almost to the point of accusing.

"Do you know how much the humans want to see this world to burn?" casually informing the furry guardian, her back still facing them as she stared off where her creation was before it faded out of her vision. "This world's atmosphere is already badly damaged. I've been sending off so many of my creation to repair the damages and maintain it into its livable condition." She turned with a stern expression on her face and continued. "They add another layer to replace what had been lost in exchange of a piece of them, and will keep doing so until they return into being nothing more than a thin air in the sky." She crossed her arms, eyes turning cold and discomforting. "It's an ice phoenix by the way, made of ice, snow, blood and iced fire. Blood and iced fire makes them last longer."

"And it was worth killing several humans over for?" Toothiana breathed out in grief as she remembered those who fell in front of her. "I admit they were pretty rude, but no reason is worth a human's life and using them as something like source of ingredients for your creation."

"You suggest I waste them?" stating emotionlessly, looking at her like she was the crazy person. The tooth fairy gasped at her and glided back, not believing what she just heard. The guardians stared at her distastefully, had they already failed before they even began? Could they ever change her into something worthy of the title of a guardian? Could they trust her?

Disinterested sapphire eyes scanned their eyes, "Oh, what? Did I lose my chance to be a guardian?" her voice and face in mocking disappointment. "Is my résumé not to your liking?" She sarcastically said and gasped, then she straightened and expression blank of any emotion but irritation. "Good." She said indifferently and turned to leave. "Now you don't have any further business here and you all could leave me be, never to return again."

"Hey! We're not through yet." Jack yelled at with stubbornness and anger.

Walking further away from the guardians, Olaf was watching silently at the side. "Well, I'm through with you."

"How could you walk away like you just thrown away some-…-some garbage?" the winter spirit took deep breaths, becoming restless all the more.

"With some practice." She simply stated.

"Why?" he screamed with vehemence. "Was it because you're more powerful than them?" that made her pause. He wasn't sure what expression she wore as he can only see her back. _Struck a nerve…_ he thought and continued. "Was it because you like feeling their life at the palm of your hands? Being a god to decide if they live or die? How!?" he demanded. "HOW!?"

"How?" she chuckled grimly, she turned and faced the white haired boy. "You **want** to know **how**?" she spat every word like acid that seemed to burn her tongue and her patience. "Oh, I'll tell you **how**." Taking long strides to come face to face with the insolent boy, she pointed a condemning finger at him as she trembled with icy fury, eyes flashed with deadly threat. Sharp and lethal words and points already chosen in her mind that she knew would cut anyone deeply, yet when she opened her mouth not one came out. Thoughts pressed the emergency brake and tongue bit back the moment she heard her name and felt the tugging on her dress. Whipping her head down at the side, brow scrunched up in annoyance, she looked at the face of a worried Olaf. Seeing his sad soulful eyes while he clutched at her skirt like a helpless, frightened child desperately clinging on his mother to hide somehow calmed her down a bit. "What is it?" she managed to say with less temper.

He pointed up to Jack. "His eyes, Elsa." He said solemnly as he sluggishly put down his hand to his side. "His eyes."

She immediately spun to the boy, his face mirrored her own reaction: scrunched up brows, mouth hanging open slightly in confusion. The cold hands of the queen shot up and held Jack's face, making him stare at her own blue eyes. He tried to yank his head free from her grasp, but when he caught a glimpse of her beautiful blue jewels for eyes he stopped all together. Hypnotized by her twinkling gems, giving her freedom to delve within him, let her read whatever she wanted to read, let her discover things within him. At first he saw fiery hatred and irritation so concentrated that he shivered and felt his own skin burning up, then it turned to lifeless, glassy that reminded him of a porcelain dolls eyes. Gradually they changed after he saw her eyes widen and returned to normal size, warmth started to flood in, then different emotions swam within them. The creases of her forehead slowly disappeared, her features softened, eyes somber and drunk with sorrow. What was she feeling sorry for? What did she see? Her stiff and vice-like grip on his face turned into a touch of tenderness, thumbs stroking soothingly under his eye.

"Oh… So that's why." Muttering quietly as she let him go and started baking away, his questioning and bewildered eyes still on hers. Her hands folded protectively over her chest, as if afraid that her touch had contaminated something precious in him or infect him with some disease. A canvas of fragile beauty yet full of heart wrenching misery that makes you grab it and protect it from the world, carry her burden for her. That was what Jack could only describe her, as he continued to stare at her quivering blue eyes. Letting a humorless laugh looking at the side where Olaf kept watching her with the same sad eyes. "Now I know why you were able to resist Pitch's influence." Turning to look at him, this time with a small smile on her pink lips. "That's…" looking down for a second and a hand on her chin as she tried to find the right word to say. "…rare." She stood straight and gazed at him. "Especially, those who have lived for so long. Careful not to lose it." She said with genuine care and turned to leave.

Everyone gawked at her at the sudden development, baffled with how rapidly her mood changed. One moment she was calm and collected, then cold and calculating and then couldn't wait to rip throats with them. The next thing you know she'd turned to a sweet caring and compassionate creature. It was making them dizzy and triple guess everything they knew. "W-wait!" the youngest guardian reached out.

For the second time, she paused. "I won't tell you why I do things the way they are, but know this." Giving the confused guardians a sideward glance and a melancholy smile, "Situations where I am concerned is not as black and white as it seems." Another sigh came from her again, more on uncertainty and exhaustion than anything. With that piece said she moved her attention to Pitch that seemed to watch everything unravel before him with uncanny silence, face blank of any emotion and his eyes did not betray him for they showed no emotion either. She offered him a rueful smile yet he did not budge. "Their fear will be ripe by now. I'm sure they'll have a pretty vivid nightmare. Help yourself 'till your heart's content." And she continued to trudge the path towards the forest. Everyone watched in eerie silence, not three steps taken she started to wobble. A had shot up to the side of her temple, another hand reaching out for something to hold onto. They heard her moan as she forced herself to take another shaky step.

"Elsa…?" Her snow golem inquired as he gingerly neared her, it was when she took another step that she collapsed. "ELSA!?" The snow man shouted as he sprinted to her side. She managed to lean on a nearby tree as they heard her gasp for air, clouds of breath erupted from her mouth as she panted. Elsa turned to her worrying golem and patted his head reassuringly.

"It's…" taking a deep, tired breath "okay, Olaf. I just…a little winded…..feeling a little light-headed." She managed to say in between breaths. "Been a while….since I tried to freeze fire….opposite element…. Took a lot out of me…." Finally evening her breathes, closing her eyes in concentration. "Nothing a...rest wouldn't cure." Both the golem and the queen perked up as if they heard something the others could not. Even with how long the nightmare king had been with the snow queen and how many times he already saw this reaction from both of them, he still couldn't hear it. "It's time." The blonde woman blurted out as she gazed up in the sky. The little snow man just nodded and assisted her to stand on her still unsteady feet. A white outstretch hand was flung in a circular motion, wisps of white cloudy smoke encircled both the snow caster and her creature. Whirlwind of snow and wind enveloped them, turning it into a ball of shifting white particles that was gradually growing smaller into a floating dot and eventually fading into thin air with a zip.

"What was that?" the feathered guardian asked and turned to her little yellow friend that just answered him with a shrug and a question mark. Out of the corner of North's eye he saw the shadow manipulator walking away towards the shadows.

"And where you think **you're** going?" he bellowed.

"To my place, where else." He answered with disinterest. "My nightmares will just have to collect fear in my stead, I have far too much on my mind right now to deal with anything," he turned and glared at his enemies "or with any of you." resuming his walk towards the darkened part of the forest.

"Oh yeah?" the guardian of fun smugly bellowed. "Like we'll let you?" pointing his wooden staff at the black robed spirit.

"Oh?" now facing the hot-blooded spirit and walking towards him. He chuckled grimly, "You're going to stop me?" stopping just a few meters away from the boy. Stooping down until they were face to face, bright yellow malignant eyes with hint of silver malice clashed with electric defiant blue eyes. "I'd like to see you try." He said wryly that made the winter spirit's blood boil, raising his staff's aim to Pitch's face.

"Oh I will try." Jack gritted his perfectly white teeth.

"Then take your best shot." The lord of darkness taunted with cocky confidence that ticked him off.

"You asked for it." He snapped and jabbed the head of his weapon on the dark spirit's chest that sent him….a few steps away? The winter spirit gapped at his opponent.

"Ow. That hurt." Then the black haired spirit grinned. "Kidding." He flicked the imaginary frost that should've been there. Jack gawped at his weapon. "Is your staff broken or out of magic?"

He tried again but still nothing happened, no matter how he tried his staff wouldn't work. Accidentally while trying to figure out what was wrong with his staff, he pointed it to a nearby tree and out came blue lightning freezing its bark, spreading within seconds. One-fourth of the bark had been covered with frost. "What?" Mumbling under his breath with perplexity as his focus changed from his staff to the tree. A deep throaty laugh took his attention and glared at the tall gray man.

"How lovely." His hands neatly folded behind him, standing straight with superiority and intimidation as he took a step back. "Jack. Jack. Jack." a snicker escaping him, "You think just because **you're** a **guardian** now means you already know everything there is to know about this game that we play." His features darkened as his tone turned into a spine-chilling ferocity. "You're just a newbie of this game, while **I** have been playing this game for millennia." He glared at the other four guardians that went into defensive mode in a blink of an eye. "Oh I see…" he hissed in demonic glee, "They haven't to you explained about the rules, have they."

"What rules?" dubiously squinting his eyes at him.

He grinned like a Cheshire cat as the winter spirit took his bait. "Well, if I recall correctly." A pointing finger rested on his cheek as the other hand cradled his elbow, eyes gazing up the sky as if trying to recall something. "One of them says, you can't harm me unless I do something naughty. Like…." Eyes lowered to see the annoyed feature of the teenage boy. "…endangering the children. That or threatening the existence of the guardians, whichever floats MiM's boat." Both his palms turned up while he shrugged.

"You **are** a threat!" Jack argued. "You've been changing Sandy's dream sand into your nightmares."

"Uh, uh, uh." Wagging a finger in front of the young spirit. "That's where **you're** wrong." Jabbing the boy's forehead with his pointing finger making him growl at him. "I haven't changed any sands lately, nor did I frighten any children as of recent. All I frightened are those that already crossed the border of childhood, well occasionally. But the one that really terrorized the humans isn't me, it is the queen's own doing. All I've been doing all this time was absorbing their sweet, succulent fears. And their exquisite nightmare," he chuckled darkly "they made it themselves. In short, you can't lay a finger on me impudent child." He said smugly and turned to walk towards the darkness. He laughed mockingly as he walked away, the guardians could only watch him as his figure was devoured by the shadows.

"Damn it." Jack tightened his hold on the staff as he gritted his teeth in frustration.

"He's right." North agreed regretfully, "We can't touch him unless he does something to children to make them stop believing in us." His big hand rested on Jack's shoulder as he looked at his companions. "We need to think about Elsa."

"Nah, there's nothing left to save in her." Easter Bunny grumpily stated.

"No." Tooth countered. "Did you see how she reacted to the son of one of the woodcutters?"

"And d'you see what he did to those other humans?"

Sandy popped up a picture of Elsa's snowflake, a happy face and then the image of Olaf.

"He does have a point." Jack happily approved. "She does have a soft spot for Olaf."

"Wait, wait…." The red fur coat wearing guardian hummed as he massaged his temples. "Idea!" he blurted out. "Maybe, if we get close to Olaf, we can find out what's happened to her and help convince her to our side."

"We need to know everything we can about her." The winged fairy declared. "The woodcutters seemed to know more. Maybe we could start there."

"Yeah!" Jack cheered on. "There's still good inside her. I just know it. We could still save her. Now where did those woodcutters go?" he enthusiastically sat on top of his staff as he looked left and right. The sand man created a cloud and sat on top of it as it floated higher and higher until he had the same height of Jack with a telescope over his eyes. When he saw something, he tugs on Frost's sweater until he turned to look at him. He pointed towards a town with little lights twinkling against the chilled night. "Nice work Sandy!" he jumped and the wind took him where he wanted to go, Sandy and Tooth followed suit.

"Just for the record," the pooka muttered to his old companion. "I still don't trust her and I think it's a mistake choosing her as a guardian."

"Brighten up, Bunny." The bearded man merrily patted his friend on the back. "That's what you said when Man in Moon chose Jack."

"And what does your belly tell you?" he stared sternly at North for a long moment before he summoned a hole and jumped in but it didn't closed up as if waiting for him to jump. He looked up into the stars and sighed. _That MiM's hiding something, that's something much more dangerous than Pitch is surfacing onto the earth, that Elsa's both an enemy and an ally. _He sighed uneasily. _And from this point on, everything's about change._ He glumly jumped into the hole Bunny created that sealed behind him as he slid down the tunnels.

If he only knew what awaited them, who awaited him.

After the guardians left:

"Woah, who're those people?"

"Is this frost?"

"She'd never leave a spot before?"

"Was that a huge rabbit?"

"Sparkle…"

"Human Birdie!"

The beings looked at each other.

"Let's just clean it up and go home, the sun's about to go up."

"Should we tell King Pabbie?"

…

"Nah…."


	8. Chapter 8: The Mother and The Villagers

**~~Chapter 7~~**

Cold sweat drips from his forehead as he twisted and turned, events from his earlier mission haunting him in his sleep. Patrick bolted up from his bed making his tender wounds ache, completely waking him up from his drowsiness. A hand cradled his abdomen and felt something cold against the rough texture of a cloth. Glancing down he saw that bandages wrapped around his midsection, the bloodstain contrasting against the flesh colored fabric. It wasn't the only area that had a bandage. His left hand was covered with the cloth from his palms up to his forearm, while his whole right hand was bandaged up. The sun-kissed tan mercenary lifted up the blanket covering his lower body, unlike his shirtless chest his lower parts were concealed with his military pants, some of his skin showing through the little rips that wasn't supposed to be there. A migraine was starting to act up as he tried to remember any details after he passed out. Fingers lightly dragged across his bandaged forehead to try to ease the pain, feeling some of his ginger hair sticking out of the material brushing his fingertips. Peering across the dark room that reeked of medical alcohol and chicken soup, he saw that the room wasn't familiar to him in any way. He was surrounded by his wounded comrades, their wounds taken care off. Deciding he still wanted to sleep, he carefully lowered his back against the warm, hard bed then the overwhelming light of the fluorescence bulb shot from above that he had to cover his eyes to ease the stinging pain he felt at the back of his eyes.

"You're awake." A deep familiar voice called out. He kept blinking until his eyes adjusted to the light. He let his arm fall once he got used to it. This time he really took a good look where exactly they were. It was a decent sized lodging, its age evident from the wooden walls and beds that faced each other from each side. The roof was also made of wood. The white, hot light attached to a wooden beam above the middle of the room. He could hear the others moan in agony and the man who flipped the switch on turned the lights off again. Then the room went blinding dark except for a patch of light on the floor that came from a flashlight of the man that stood against the door frame. "C'mon we need to talk." He said as he directed the light on the floor of his bed. Thinking that this man might have the answers that he kept trying to dig up from his head, he nodded and slid his feet on the wooden floorboard. Cautiously he stood, pain shooting up all over his body but he ignored it as he tried to walk towards the man.

"Need some help?" the massive man offered but he declined it. He was a soldier, he experienced worse than this. Gradually he made it through the door passed the huge but muscularly built man. He watched the man grab the stainless steel door handle and was closing the door when he suddenly froze. He turned and asked what was the matter, the man answered with an uncertain voice "I thought I heard horse neighing." Then the man shrugged and continued to close the door until they heard the metallic click of the lock. Once the room was swimming in darkness, 12 pairs of yellow malicious eyes lit up at first glaring at the door and then to each other. When they were sure they weren't going to be interrupted again they resumed gathering fears and creating their brothers.

He recognized the man leading him through the hallways. It was the man called Jerome, the leader of the woodcutters, their spokesperson. Brunette hair came tumbling down covering his lightly tanned nape, bouncing at his every step. Minutes later, they arrived in an area he guessed was the lounge or dining area. There weren't much electric appliances there except for bulbs attached from the beams, coffee maker and radio. A long worn out dark gray couch was placed against the side of the stairs, another one was against the opposite side of the wall above it was a group picture with the lodging on the background and a whole lot of men covered the front, some were sitting while the others stood. Two back-to-back couches were the only ones that divided the large room, two wooden posts gave a little space in between the two couches. Hanging on the wall near the stairs were two axes with the wooden handles forming an 'x', pictures of locals littered the walls going up the second floor.

Jerome led him to a long table that could accommodate 14 persons with fourteen chairs lined up horizontally. The woodcutter gestured to a seat in the middle and gave him a black sleeveless shirt with a thick dark green blanket folded neatly beneath it, three empty seats beside him from either side. He sat at the opposite side of the table, another older man with white mustache on his face paired with a graying long hair. Skin as lightly tanned as the first man. They sat side by side, the older man offering a hot mug he held on one hand and gave the other coffee to the man in front of him. The gray haired man went back to the coffee maker and poured another one for himself before settling down his seat. The heat from the mug warmed his freezing fingers as he raised it his lips, a brow shot up. "Really?" his tone was sarcastic and annoyed.

The younger of the two shrugged and with a jolly tone said "You lost a lot of blood. M' daughter said no coffee, tea or alcohol to anyone that has your situation. Clearly, it meant all of you. Only milk, juice and water are allowed. Between you and me, warm orange juice does **not** taste good. M' daughter was the one who patched up the bunch of ya'." His chest puffed out his chest proudly like a bird. "She's a nurse, but much better than any doctors I know. She says she doesn't want to be a doctor." he took a sip of the bitter black liquid. "says she doesn't want to be the bearer of bad news.".

"Heh, good for you." Forcing himself to sip on the sweet, white, creamy nectar. He groaned as he relished the burning sensation it made as it slid down his throat. "A little sweet for my taste but it'll have to do."

"Glad you liked it." The older man smiled, his tone a little scratchy from either his age or exhaustion. He figured they must've been tired taking care of him and his men. "I thought it was too bland for you."

"You're Patrick Salvador right?" The brunette started as he slurped the hot drink in his hand. "The one who really leads the group of mercenary Mr. Carlton brought with us earlier tonight." He looked up on the grandfather clock at the corner near a window. "Or should I say last night?" Patrick followed his gaze and saw the time, it was now 3:45 am, he turned back to face the two men and inhaled the soothing, sweet addicting smell of the milk in his hand. "Yeah."

"We thought you were a goner." The gray haired man blurted to break the silence that the wounded man keeps on building. "You lost a lot of blood. Good thing she had you bandaged up before we found you." But the man just stared at his drink, his grip at the mug tightened turning his knuckles white. His hand trembled in what they could guess as fury. "Can't say that about the others though." the older man grimaced as he remembered the bodies that were being dragged by the queen's wolves.

"Burt." The other man warned, he turned and stared intently at the injured soldier of fortune's trembling form. "My name is Jerome Agathon," he gestured to the man beside him "and this is Burtelon Gurreth." The man lifted his head for a moment and glance them in the eyes and returned to his drink as he took another sip. "We want to talk to you about what happened-"

"Did some of my men die?" Patrick cut him off, his eyes never leaving the white drink.

Both men stared at each other and back at him. "Yes. We're not sure how many."

"Their bodies?" his voice shaking and deep.

"She… ugh…." Jerome breathed deeply, readying himself from this man lashing out on them. "She took them."

"Then what would I give to their families?" his voice deep, and grim. "What will I say to them? How will I explain to them that the reason I can't give them a proper burial is because a FUCKING WITCH TOOK THEM?!" slamming the mug hard on the wooden table that it almost broke.

But the man wasn't intimidated the least. Yet his eyes held anger, calm and superiority. "Tell them they got burned or got lost." He said unwaveringly. "It's in your occupational hazard isn't it?"

"That's impossible." Teeth baring at the one he was speaking to. "Their families were informed of what kind of mission we were going to, if it was war, bodyguard or whatever. I promised those families that if anything happens to my men, I would bring back their bodies."

"Then, how about their dog tags?"

"NO WAY! I am their leader. Alive or not, they are still my responsibility." He looked solemnly at brunette's eyes, trying his best to make him understand. "If you were in my shoes, and your fellow woodcutters dies. Wouldn't you want them back to at least give them a proper burial?"

The old man that sat quietly glanced at the man they called leader. "Jerome." He called at his friend as he saw brows furrow, a sign that he was in deep thought. "And what are you going to do? Go to the police? They're in this too." The old man turned to the injured fellow. "Tattle on the government? Hire an investigator to snoop around and ask questions?" clucked his tongue as he drank from his mug and sighed. "Mr. Jerome may I ask you some questions?" his voice changed, pretending to be an investigator.

With a faint smile, the brunette turned to his companion and nodded as he went along. "Why certainly."

"Have you seen any man with an eye patch recently?"

"Yes, sir. He was with us when we went in the woods. It was the last time I saw him."

"What happened on that day?"

"Well, we went up there to cut some trees 'illegally'. Our foreman hired him for protection."

"For protection?"

"Yeah, he was an odd ball tell ya' that. Anyway, we couldn't go through it because a law enforcer was made aware of it so we knew that there was going to be a shoot-out, and there was. Good thing we were ready for it. After that, some of the mercenaries got away and the bodies were never found. They said wolves took them." He shrugged as what he was doing was normal and practiced. "Can't say it can't happen. Wolves have been loitering around very often you know."

"And no one tried to retrieve the bodies?"

"We can't. They are quite many here. So many that their dens are scattered everywhere and we wouldn't want to risk our folks to that danger. I doubt, they could identify any of those remains. But with the new machines and all, maybe they can. Besides, no one has inquired of them except you. So if you want the bodies, hire somebody or talk to the police or the rangers cause the folks here are scared to go places like that and would go only of they were forced." He turned to their spectator whose mouth hanged open in shock. "How was it?"

He saw no flaw to the answers he gave, nor any signs that he was hiding something or was telling lies. Actually, what he told was truth but missing pieces of details. The flow of words and answers were smooth like he really was telling the truth. No doubt he had tons of practice because of how at ease he looked. _This isn't the first time this happened._ It was all the rational answer he could think of.

The large men went somber and sighed in defeat. "I'll confer with the queen. It is up to her to decide their corpses' fate, as she did with your lives. But if she does not agree with it, then the little "act" we pulled will take place."

The leader of the mercenaries seemed to have calmed down and breathed a sigh of relief, downing his almost empty mug because of his tantrum earlier. But his rage bit back as his mind repeated the man's last sentence. "What's her deal anyway?" he spat, immediately attracting the attention of the two woodcutters. "Why won't anyone rise up to her? Are you just going to take her shit for the rest of your lives? How about your children? Your grandchildren? Are you going to make them go through this too?"

"And what?" the bigger man snorted in sarcasm. "Do the same idiotic thing you just did? With-with what? An ax? A chainsaw? You saw what she is capable of. If you well-equipped mercenaries couldn't do anything to her, what more could woodcutters like us do? Besides she is not a threat unless you stupidly want her to be." Pointing a big, meaty finger accusingly at the mercenary who glared at his finger like a rabid dog ready to bite at his meal, he continued. "She has been kind to us, protecting us long since we could remember." His chair creaked as he leaned back and took a whiff of the bitter liquid in his hand. "Unless she is provoked, she would not harm anyone. Her laws had always benefitted us, so why should we ignore her. She's our mother, this town's mother. She always looked out for us. And like a mother, she will scold us whenever we step out of line. And if scolding could not make us listen, a good slap in the face always does the trick."

"You can ask for help. We could-"

"**Enough!**" his voice shook the whole room into silence, that took the mercenary a back for a moment. His friend didn't even tried to stop him and just sipped in his cup quietly. This man was clearly passionate about the subject as he felt him changed from friendly and consoling into a violent and unsteady man in a split second. Jerome took a sip of his coffee, it's warm, bitter taste calming his cranky nerves. "She had done many things for us, so why would we want to throw it all away. All she wanted was to follow the treaty, follow her law. And if that meant people like you laugh at us and think we're crazy, then so be it. What use have we in freedom, when it will just lead us to nowhere."

"Hah!" the gingered hair man's muscle tensed. "She's only good to you. What if an innocent tourist came walking in the woods and did something that she would dislike. She'll just kill him on the spot like shooting a rabbit?"

"You ungrateful, idiotic, pompous simpleton!" this time it was the old man who spoke and slammed his hand on the table with such intensity that it shook. "This is what's wrong with all of you. You focus on all the bad things she did to you that you forget her kindness at all. Don't **Burt** me!" he yelled and shrugged the hand of his friend that tried to calm him down. The old man lunged towards the mercenary and grabbed the collar of his shirt as his nose flared. "She welcomed all of you filthy dogs into the forest, didn't send any wolves in your way and didn't get you lost. And you charged into the forest guns blazing, mocking her name. She didn't want to fight you, she didn't want to kill. She tried to scare you away. Yet, you attacked her and her wolves first like you owned the place. You forced her hand. You gave her no choice but to summon her wolves. You wanted her dead, they were just protecting her from you hooligans from harming her."

Shocked at the sudden change in the man his mind started to reel back. It was true that they tried to kill her, and it was true that they attacked first but they were out of instinct. That was it. Did they deserve to die just because they moved based on that? Granted that the mocking was of their own free will. He subconsciously frowned and furrowed his brow, unaware that the old man had left his grip on him. Maybe, it was what happened to her too when they didn't back down when she tried to scare them.

A cough brought his dull eyes to the leader of the woodcutters. "There is something you need to know about those snow wolves." He waited for the wounded man for an indication to continue in which he nods. "The snow wolves don't just **attacks**. They act like a mirror. If you do not attack it, then it would only watch you go about your business. But if it sees any intentions to kill or harm others but do not attack them, they would only growl, bark and do pretty much anything to scare you off without harming you. And if you attack them, they would mirror that wish for violence and attack you. It would not care if you live or die and would not stop until the violence they mirrored stops or do not exist." He slouched a little and rested his arms on the table as it squeaked against his weight. "You might've not noticed, but when you said sorry. The wolves stopped attacking, they felt no more killing or harming intentions on you and left you. The queen even bandaged you up when you were dying, you lost a lot of blood." Sipping his caffeine drink quite loudly as it started to lose it warmth.

"So you're saying that if we hadn't tried to attack her, then the wolves would have just left us alone." His face scrunched up as he tried to understand.

"Yes."

"Then none of my men would have died."

"Yep."

"Then, it was all my fault. If, I hadn't ordered for the attack-" his hands tightened into knuckles.

"Basically." The old man answered with a roll of his eyes. His companion elbowed him almost spilling his drink. "What? It's the truth."

"No. it wasn't. It was their own foolishness that killed them." He glared at the man beside him and turned to the one in front of him. "And we have a favor to ask you." The mercenary looked at him curiously. "When you leave here, this event never happened you will not tell a soul." A quirk of an eye brow from him, the huge man knew that he needed a more elaborate explanation. "As reasonable as she may be. There are points and instances that she becomes unreasonable. One of them is this. She doesn't want anyone to know she is real. Something happened in the past that she tries to maintain. And if you threaten that, then she would not think twice and kill you where you stand, you and everyone that might inquire of your existence." He looked the man dead in the eye making sure he knows just how serious it was. "Do you understand?"

The wounded mercenary sighed and wrapped the blanket around him tighter. "Yeah, I get it. I'll spread the word. It's not like anyone's going to believe us anyways." He chuckled. "Just make sure that my mercs remains are brought to me and we won't breathe a word." Lifting the mug to his lips he saw the mug was already empty, he frowned in disappointment. The two woodcutters saw this and looked at each other smiling.

"Want a refill?"

The ginger haired father turned with mirth and a little smile. "Yeah, that would be nice."

Unbeknownst them, five fairy tale creatures were eavesdropping on their little chat. Hiding in the shadows and quietly sitting on the snow outside the cozy lodging under the window of the porch. When they determined that they had already gathered all the information they could get from the conversation, they looked at each other and silently slipped away into the night to go to a palace high above the mountains where little fluttering noises could be heard 24 hours a day.


End file.
